Funded by the European Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO), the EU Support to Flood Prevention and Forest Fires Risk Management in the Western Balkans and Turkey project is part of the European Union’s Instrument of Pre-Accession (IPA) programs. The project is dedicated to mitigating the risk of floods and forest fires in the Western Balkans and Turkey and bringing the regulatory frameworks of the nations involved closer to the European Union’s civil protection standards, with special reference to regional cooperation.
With a duration of three years (November 2020-November 2023), the project foresees, on the one hand, to strengthen the legal and institutional framework of the countries involved in the project (Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, Kosovo and Turkey), in particular with reference to the European Directive on floods. On the other hand, it aims to improve forest fire prevention and preparedness at national, regional and European level. The final objective is to improve the capacity of the partner countries to develop flood risk management plans (with a focus on transboundary management) and to include flood warning systems in local emergency plans. In addition, the project aims to strengthen the capacity of countries to develop a regionally harmonized methodology for forest fire risk assessment, and to develop and update risk assessments and forest fire risk management plans.
Within the project, CIMA Research Foundation will support the Italian Civil Protection Department in particular in the analysis and strengthening of national legal frameworks for flood risk management, identifying gaps and strengths and working on their implementation also through specific case studies. In addition, CIMA Research Foundation will provide technical support to the beneficiaries for developing risk assessments and risk management capabilities for forest fires.
