Prevention shall be understood as any action aimed at reducing risks or mitigating adverse consequences of a disaster for people, the environment and property, including cultural heritage. The general objective of the projects under the Prevention topic is to contribute to strengthening the cooperation among the Member States and between the UCPM and third countries for the prevention of natural and human-induced disasters. While cross-border cooperation is relatively well-established in the area of emergency response, cross-border and multi-country cooperation during the prevention phase can be further enhanced.

Disasters know no borders. The risks posed by natural and human-induced hazards are cross-border due to their spatial dimension (e.g., earthquakes, fires, severe weather, floods and space weather), as well as the volatility and scale of their impacts (e.g., pandemics, impact of climate change on zoonotic diseases, nuclear/industrial accidents, marine pollution). The human, economic and environmental impacts triggered by these disasters, as well as their likelihood of occurrence exist irrespective of national borders.

Various EU legislative acts already call for a collaborative approach to disaster risk assessment and awareness raising: for example, for flood risks or cross-border threats in the health sector. The UCPM legislation also aims at stepping up the collaboration at cross-border level and between Member States prone to the same types of disasters.

The UCPM-2024-KAPP call also includes a wildfire risk management priority. Wildfire is one of the most recurrent hazards leading to the activation of the UCPM. In 2022, wildfires burned more than 785 000 ha, being the second worst year on record for the EU, after 2017, with a 127% increase over the average burnt area in the last 15 years. In 2023, the trend continued with a bunt area of more than 463 000 ha, representing a 31% increase over the same average. Therefore, wildfire risk management receives a particular attention under this call, with a view to allow integrated projects and the development of relevant tools and activities.

In order to contribute to achieving the above general objective, applicants are invited to select one or several of the following topic priorities.

Priority 1: Risk assessments, anticipation and risk management planning

Without an assessment that takes into account cross-border risks, cascading effects, and exposed or vulnerable areas and groups, including persons with disabilities, DRM strategies will only partially address the risks a country faces. This priority aims at enhancing the eligible entities’ capability to identify and assess relevant disaster risks with potential transboundary/trans-European and cross-sectoral impacts and use that information to reinforce disaster prevention and preparedness activities.

This priority correlates with the Union disaster resilience goal No. 1: ‘Anticipate - Improving risk assessment, anticipation and DRM planning’.

Priority 2: Risk awareness

Population plays an important role in disaster prevention and preparedness and citizens are usually the first responders to natural or human-induced disasters. National, regional and local authorities should cooperate, together with the private sector and civil society organisations, to increase disaster risk awareness and preparedness of the population. Evidence-based risk information and communication, as well as education activities, targeted to the public, including vulnerable groups and persons with disabilities, and volunteers, thus become effective tools to raise awareness on disaster prevention, preparedness and response measures.

This priority correlates with the Union disaster resilience goal No. 2: ‘Prepare -Increasing risk awareness and preparedness of the population’.

Priority 3: Early warning

Early warning systems are key elements for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. In the wake of the Covid-19 crisis and with the recent extreme weather events and cascading impacts across sectors, the importance of advanced multi-hazard and risk warnings has never been more widely acknowledged. Although in Europe there is considerable experience with early warning systems, especially for weather and climate-related hazards, recent disasters have shown that more effort and collaboration is necessary. This would include the use of new technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, in order to be able to process large volumes of data in a timely fashion, appropriate for emergency management.

This priority correlates with the Union disaster resilience goal No. 3: ‘Alert - Enhancing early warning’.

Priority 4: Wildfire risk management

Moving towards an integrated wildfire risk management is critical to building more resilient landscapes and communities. This priority aims to encourage integrated projects that address the underlying causes of increased wildfire risk and support the development of new governance models and guidelines. Improved wildfire risk governance, assessment, planning, prevention, and post-fire restoration should be addressed in an integrated manner, in addition to fire suppression actions, including by using Artificial Intelligence techniques. According to recent studies, the results of wildfire prevention investments benefit-cost assessments yield net benefits. Wildfire prevention encompasses a broad variety of actions - including on forest management, spatial planning, training and education activities, public awareness, early warning, shared risk governance, etc. It also requires action at all levels (national, regional, and local), while considering cross-country implications and a multi-sectorial governance, involving forest owners, communities, authorities, tourism actors, researchers, etc. Proposals should take an integrated approach and address the links among various risk management steps.

This priority correlates with the three Union disaster resilience goals identified for the priorities 1, 2 and 3, given its cross-cutting and holistic approach. It also contributes to the implementation of the Wildfire Prevention Action Plan.

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For Priority 1: Risk assessments, anticipation, and risk management planning

Project activities and outputs should lead to the achievement of at least one of the following outcomes:

• Improved understanding and knowledge of current and future disaster risks.
• Harmonised multi-country risk assessments for identified shared risks are developed and/or improved along with the recommendations on the follow-up steps.
• Improved sharing of risk data and risk analysis.
• Enhanced quantification and sharing of disaster loss and damage data, using internationally agreed indicators (e.g., the targets of the Sendai framework for Disaster Risk Reduction).
• Improved cross-border and multi-country cooperation and strengthened exchange of knowledge on risk assessment and risk management planning.
• Enhanced availability of tools and guidelines on risk assessment and risk management planning.

The project outputs shall be chosen from the following list:

• Improved or new risk assessment methodologies of relevance for the UCPM, including to measure and/or enhance the understanding of the impact of current and future disasters.
• Improved or new DRM planning tools.
• Harmonised multi-country risk management plans or action plans for one or more risks (identified in a multi-cross risk assessment) are developed and/or further improved.
• ‘Build-back better’ tools and guidelines, including cost-benefit analysis tools, feasibility studies for green prevention solutions (including nature-based solutions), and considering climate adaptation, climate mitigation and disaster risk reduction.
• Agreements, working procedures, methodologies, etc., required to establish a functioning cross-border network of competent authorities at national and sub-national level for specific risks.
• Open-source IT platforms for data-sharing.
• Improved or new methodologies for disaster loss data collection across borders.

For Priority 2: Risk awareness

Project activities and outputs should lead to the achievement of at least one of the following outcomes:

• Enhanced evidence-based knowledge and awareness of disaster risks and of self-protection and self-preparedness measures.
• Improved sharing of risk information and development of a culture of risk prevention.
• Strengthened participation of volunteers and civil society in DRM, including youth, vulnerable groups and persons with disabilities.
• Enhanced availability of tools and guidelines on increasing risk awareness.
• Strengthened community engagement in the process of disaster resilience building.

The project outputs shall be chosen from the following list:

• Improved or new multi-risk awareness raising methodologies for various DRM stakeholders.
• Compilation of good practices and knowledge in the field of risk communication and risk awareness.
• Awareness raising products, such as media campaigns, including social media, open-source platforms, augmented reality, or other.
• Awareness raising platforms and events (virtual and face-to-face).
• Training and educational modules, tools, guidelines, and methodologies aimed at raising risk awareness, for the general public or specific groups, including vulnerable groups and persons with disabilities.

For Priority 3: Early warning

Project activities and outputs should lead to the achievement of at least one of the following outcomes:

• Improved multi-country early warning and information systems and linkage with the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC).
• Strengthened integration of early warning systems in decision making at various levels, including at individual and organisational levels.
• Increased understanding of early warning messages among the general public or specific groups, including vulnerable groups and persons with disabilities.
• Enhanced availability of tools and guidelines on improved risk communication.
• Improved integration of community needs and behavioural characteristics into early warning systems.

The project outputs shall be chosen from the following list:

• Improved systems for hazard monitoring, forecasting and prediction, including through the use of new technologies.
• Mechanisms and procedures for information sharing with the ERCC and for a better integration of early warning systems in decision making at various levels.
• User manuals for early warning systems.
• Methodologies and applications of hazard mapping for early warning systems.
• International standards and protocols for warnings.
• Tools and guidelines on risk communication and public warning, considering specific needs of the population (for instance, multi-lingual communities, vulnerable groups, including persons with disabilities, etc.).
• Guidelines on the implementation of an “all-of-society” approach in early warning.

For Priority 4: Wildfire risk management

Project activities and outputs should lead to the achievement of at least one of the following outcomes:

• Increased wildfire risk knowledge and assessments, by taking into account specific wildfire risk components and its underlying drivers for a given region/area.
• Improved data collection on past wildfire disaster events, and links between forest management and wildfire behaviour.
• Increased evidence-based public risk awareness, education and preparedness among the population for wildfires.
• Improved monitoring and early warning systems for wildfire are developed.
• Enhanced understanding of integrated wildfire risk management across sectors and of their effectiveness for specific regions, types of ecosystems, wildland-urban interface, etc.

The project outputs shall be chosen from the following list:

• Overview of existing wildfire governance models and/or proposals for improved integrated wildfire risk governance.
• Methodologies for wildfire risk assessment, planning, and/or prevention or post-fire restoration, including for the wildland-urban interface, peatbog fires, various types of ecosystems and socio-economic conditions.
• Fire hazard assessments and tools.
• Decision-support and training tools for various population groups and decision makers, including Artificial Intelligence-supported wildfire simulation tools.
• Wildfire education and sensibilisation tools (e.g., information products, campaigns, etc.)
• Alert systems for local communities.
• Active fire detection tools.
• Evacuation and shelter planning and communication.

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Under Priority 1 (Risk assessments, anticipation, and risk management planning), this call for proposals will co-finance activities that aim to assess and quantify risks and/or prepare management plans for risks with a multi-country or cross-border impact. Proposals could either build on and/or expand existing risk assessments and risk management plans, or they could develop new risk assessment or plans. In addition, proposals aiming to enhance the availability of tools and guidelines on risk assessment, disaster loss data analysis, and risk management planning are also encouraged. Projects under this priority should follow a multi-hazard approach.

Under Priority 2 (Risk awareness), this call for proposals co-finances activities that aim to enhance risk awareness and preparedness of the population, including through increasing the overall level of risk awareness, prevention and preparedness measures amongst the population, improving public access to disaster risk information, and enhancing the culture of risk prevention and self-protection. Proposals aiming to increase the availability of tools and guidelines on raising citizens’ awareness on disaster risks are also eligible.

Under Priority 3 (Early Warning), this call for proposals will co-finance activities that aim to build and improve forecasting, detection and monitoring capabilities, as well as public warning and alert systems. Proposals should demonstrate that they build on previous efforts or that there is an identified gap for the action. Proposals which promote the use of new technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, are also encouraged.

Under Priority 4 (Wildfire risk management), this call for proposals will co-finance integrated projects that aim to develop or improve wildfire data collection and analysis, wildfire risks assessment, wildfire risk management planning, wildfire risk governance, and wildfire early warning systems (by building upon existing instruments such as the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) to the extent possible), including projects that promote the use of new technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence. Also, proposals aimed at raising public awareness, developing education and training material, and improving the understanding on the wildfire-related risks and prevention measures among key actors, are encouraged. Proposals should take into account aspects such as climate change impact on wildfire risk; fire weather forecast; fire propagation based on terrain, fuel and weather; social and behavioural elements, etc.

For the above priorities, the active involvement of end-users in the proposal conception and implementation is recommended. End-users may be DRM authorities at various levels, civil society organisations, private companies, and other stakeholders in the eligible countries.

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