The Portuguese Presidency of the Council and representatives of the European Parliament reached a provisional agreement on 8 February on a proposal to strengthen the Union's Civil Protection Mechanism, an essential instrument of EU solidarity.
The new rules will enable the EU and Member States to be better prepared to prevent natural and man-made disasters, and to respond more rapidly when they strike. To this end, the new agreement provides for a total of EUR 1 263 million in the context of the Multiannual Financial Framework 2021-2027, including up to EUR 2 056 million to implement civil protection-related measures to address the impact of the Covid-19 crisis foreseen in the EU Recovery Instrument.