BRUSSELS. Civil protection and emergency management, the European Union does a lot but Italians know little about it. When faced with large fires that cannot be managed alone, the EU can be asked to intervene, contacting member states to make men and equipment available. A broad system and a practical example of which just over one in two people in the country (54%) are aware. There is practically half the country that does not know what the European Union is doing even for Italy itself, which in any case benefited from this mechanism last May after the floods that hit Emilia-Romagna.
The Italian rate of unawareness of the EU’s role in emergency management is among the highest in the EU, the fourth to last in the European Union, according to the Eurobarometer survey published today. Only Latvians, Bulgarians and Estonians have a greater ignorance of the matter than that of Italians, who however, after being informed, show a certain benevolence in the assistance and help that the European Union can make available. Among those who say they are “convinced” (15% of respondents) and those “generally convinced” that greater EU coordination in emergencies is positive, six out of ten Italians (61%) promote the European civil protection mechanism.
An enthusiasm that is probably explained by the confidence index of their leaders, especially local ones. Because, when asked about the level of preparedness for calamities and natural disasters at the level of their region, Italians do not reward their administrators. Just 12% of respondents have full trust in governors, and 42% think that the regions are sufficiently equipped. Compared to 54% of Italians who are happy with the local management of emergencies, there are 46% who consider themselves neither safe nor satisfied. The situation does not change much if the issue is moved to government level: if there are six out of ten Italians (59%) who believe that the government, also through national civil protection, is prepared to respond to emergency situations, there are four in ten (41%) who think “no”.
This is why Italians, even those less aware of the existence of a European civil protection mechanism, are willing to recognize a greater role for the EU. Although, upon closer inspection, what worries Italians are neither fires nor floods, nor hydrogeological instability nor drought. The answer most given by Eurobarometer respondents in Italy when asked what EU civil protection should give priority to is “health emergencies, such as pandemics”. It is the priority for 48% of Italians, who put extreme weather phenomena in second place (43%). The request for greater medical and healthcare assistance from the EU puts the spotlight on the issue of national healthcare. An implicit request for intervention by the government and the regions.
The European Civil Protection Mechanism dates back to 1992, as the humanitarian aid office of the then European Economic Community (EEC). With the more political dimension of the integration project and the transformation of the EEC into the current EU, in 2009 the Commission reformed the structure, establishing a specific department with new tasks, extended to civil protection operations. The turning point came in 2012, when the European Union was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The department is transformed into a general directorate, and the college of commissioners is equipped with a commissioner also responsible for managing phenomena such as fires, floods, floods and droughts affecting member states, who can benefit from EU assistance upon request.
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Please note the Civil Defense is NOT Emergency Management. Emergency Services are not Emergency Management. Emergency management requires extensive education at a university level specific to EM and across a broad array of subjects to be even remotely competent. Perhaps this is why Italy and many countries are unaware the entry level and level of education in this area is appalling.