1 November 2010, 11:00 h, Sheraton Hotel, Sofia
On November 1, 2010, at Sheraton Hotel, in Sofia, the European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid, and Crisis Response Mrs. Kristalina Georgieva gave a public lecture entitled “New Strategies for Crisis Response in Europe: How Higher Disaster Frequency and Intensity Change the Response of the EU”. The event was organised by The Atlantic Club of Bulgaria, in cooperation with the Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria. The lecture was attended by ambassadors, MPs, economists, experts, representatives from EU member states and students.
According to Mrs. Georgieva, the EU’s response to crises could be slow. As major disasters could often overwhelm national capacities, a common response was essential, both for saving lives and limiting damage. In her opinion, 90% of EU citizens believed that better prepared responses and improved coordination needed to be established. In response to disasters, Europe should shift from an “ad hoc response” to “pre-planned, predictable and immediate” measures. With this in mind, Mrs. Georgieva presented the Commission’s proposals to bring together the wealth of expertise and resources, available at local, national and EU levels, into one strengthened EU disaster-response system.
