Funded by the Italian Civil Protection Department (DPC) and the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, it was carried out by CIMA Research Foundation, as the executive agency of DPC, between 2010 and 2012. It involves the General Directorate for Civil Emergencies, the Ministry of the Interior, and all other competent ministries, as well as the National Hydrometeorological Service of Albania-IGEO, and the prefectures of Shkodër and Lezha.
The program, initiated immediately after the Shkodër flood in January 2010, aimed to strengthen the capacity of the Albanian Civil Protection for the prediction and prevention of forest fire and flood risks. The rationale behind the program, jointly managed by the Albanian and Italian civil protections, was to reinforce the Albanian National System for the prediction and prevention of forest fires and floods by implementing in Albania the systems currently used by the Functional Centers, which are a key component of the Italian Civil Protection System. The program allowed for:
- Establishing a National Center for the Prediction and Monitoring of Natural Risks/National Functional Center, a National Operations Center, and two Regional Operations Centers;
- Implementing an intensive training program for risk assessment and management;
- Adapting the Italian Early Warning System for forest fires to the entire Albanian territory and, for floods, to the Buna River and the Shkodër region.
