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ZAGREB / SARAJEVO, December 22 (FENA) - There are growing challenges in Bosnia and Herzegovina, as it is the case all over Europe. Climate change has brought about situations that could not have been foreseen a decade ago. Floods, extreme colds, earthquakes - these are all situations that we must be prepared for and that have become a regular occurence, the Assistant Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia Damir Trut, who was in BiH last week as one of the participants of the conference "Preparation of BiH for the Civil Protection Mechanism of the European Union", said in an interview with FENA.
Trut recalled that the conference marked 10 months from the start of the project "EU for Better Civil Protection in BiH".
"We wanted to show the activities that have been carried out so far and to raise the awareness of the wider and international community about the progress in the Civil Protection Service in BiH," says Trut.
He explains that it is a 100 percent EU funded project aimed at raising the readiness of the BiH Civil Protection System to fully join the Civil Protection Mechanism of the European Union. There will be education, trainings, exercises, risk assessments. Through a total of over 60 activities in two years, all the civil protection segments in BiH will be prepared for equal participation in CP activities in Europe.
"Membership in the Civil Protection Mechanism of the EU depends on a number of prerequisites, only one of which is the readiness of the operational forces. We all know that operational forces are prepared based on the needs arising from each country's risk assessment. What Europe expects from each member of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism are clearly defined procedures for action both domestically and internationally.
Establishing a single point of contact for the country and understanding how to act in an international environment is required. Transparency of procedures is very important especially in segments that involve financial resources such as projects, training, nominating forces for international assistance, etc.," explains Trut.
Asked when BiH would become a candidate and whether it would be possible to make liaisons before EU membership itself, Trut says that BiH is certainly already a candidate for the membership in the Mechanism and it is only a matter of time. Like Croatia, BiH can become a member of the Mechanism even before it becomes an EU member.
"There are more and more challenges in BiH, as it is in the whole of Europe. Climate change has brought us situations we could not have even predicted a decade ago. From the floods to the extreme cold, earthquakes - these are all situations that we all need to prepare for and that have become a regular thing. BiH, within its internal organization, has the advantage of organizing operational forces at the lowest levels and systematically working on equipping and training them. More can be done in terms of standardizing the procedures when responding to a challenge that crosses administrative and even state borders," he said.
Trut emphasizes that mechanisms for joint action exist at the level of the EU Mechanism - which is precisely its aim.
"Disaster information is collected at the EU Response Coordination Center (ERCC), an operational forces database is used, information on needs and offers is provided in real-time. Through the exercises held annually, the interoperability of the operational forces for harmonized field operations is tested and strengthened. Likewise, the entire region is cross-linked with bilateral agreements that provide for joint activities to respond not only to disasters but also to reduce disaster risks. Therefore, I can say with certainty that no state is alone in case of a disaster," concluded Assistant Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia Damir Trut in an interview with FENA.
(FENA) S. R.
