EU and Bosnia and Herzegovina strengthen cooperation for disaster preparedness

European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, is in Bosnia and Herzegovina today to strengthen the cooperation on disaster prevention, preparedness and response, both at national and regional level. It comes as Bosnia and Herzegovina has reconfirmed its interest to join the EU's Civil Protection Mechanism, which coordinates joint crisis response actions. The Commissioner will also attend an EU funded full-scale earthquake exercise response, with first responders from Austria, Romania, Albania, Montenegro, Slovenia and other international agencies taking part. Janez Lenarčič, Commissioner for Crisis Management, said: “Just a few days ago, Bosnia and Herzegovina was hit by two earthquakes. We cannot always predict when and where the next one strikes, but we can get better prepared. Therefore I fully support Bosnia and Herzegovina's request to join the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. I am confident that becoming a member of our European civil protection framework will ensure Bosnia and Herzegovina benefit from stronger crisis response whenever large scale crises strike. Together, we can protect and save lives.” The Commissioner will meet with Members of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and, Minister of Security Selmo Cikotić amongst others. During his visit, the Commissioner also announced an €2.5 million in additional humanitarian funding to help Bosnia and Herzegovina cover the needs of refugees, asylum seekers and migrants in the country.