Which Role for the European Union in the Global Governance of Disaster Risk Reduction?

In this paper, I aim to discuss the European Union governance of Disaster Risk Reduction, with specific reference to the civil protection policy area and its main tool - the Union Civil Protection Mechanism. The Mechanism has been deployed in several emergencies in Europe and beyond its borders and has become a useful tool for emergency response not only inside the EU borders, but increasingly worldwide. In this paper, I seek to analyse to what extent the issues about the global governance of disasters put forward by the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction can be applied at EU level. The following questions will guide my analysis: can we trace patterns, changes, drivers that have contributed to an EU governance of Disaster Risk Reduction through the Mechanism? To what extent have policies and practices for disaster risk management inside the Mechanism reached a certain degree of coherence and planning? To what extent does the EU foster cooperation and coordination among European States in the disaster risk governance for preparedness, response, and recovery? Does the Mechanism contribute to make the EU recognisable worldwide in the field of crisis management?