Swedish National Defence College

Building Societal Security Research Group

Försvarshögskolan, Utrikespolitiska Institutet, Leiden University

Magnus Ekengren

New trends in societal security

research in the Nordic countries27 November 2014

EU Crisis Management: how do wemake it stronger?

•Why research on EU crisismanagement?

PROBLEMs

• EU resources not used • EU resources overlapinternational capacities

• Unclear division ofcompetence EU - EU member states

• Unclear EU role in transboundary crisis

Project 2014-1017

• How can the EU’s crisis management capacity be improved?

• Purpose: when, where and how does EU crisismanagement provide most added value to the EU member states and Europe?

• Goal: proposals for effective division of labour and competence EU – EU member states – international and subregional organizations

Focus: transboundary crisis

• Definition: crosses sectors, responsibilities, national jurisdictions

• Characteristics: affects multiple jurisdictions and decison-making levels, calls for public private coordination, and, rapid, unpredictable spread

• Challenges: sense-, mening-, decision-making

Qs

EU cooperation:

• In what type of transboudnary crisis?

• In what phase?

• In what sectors?

• In what forms?

•What are the alternatives to EU cooperation in transboundary crisis?

Subsidiarity principle

The principle of subsidiarity: determine the level of intervention that is most relevant in the areas of competences shared between the EU and the Member States.

• Does the action have transnational aspects that cannot be resolved by Member States?

• Would national action or an absence of action be contrary to the requirements of the Treaty?

• Does action at European level have clear advantages?

Subsidarity principle

Problem

What are the transnational aspects oftransboundary crisis?

Example: Ash cloud crisis2010

Level

What capacity on national level?

What capacities can EU offer?

Ash cloud crisis 2010

• April 14, 2010, the volcano Eyjafjallajökull on Iceland erupted

• Guidelines by International Civil Aviation Organization (UN): “safety first”

• April 15, Eurocontrol recommend closure of national air space

• April 15, National Air Traffic Services close national airspace

• April 17, European air traffic dropped by 85%

• 108,000 flights cancelled; 10,5 million stranded; 1,7 billion lost revenue for airlines

• April 17, EU Commission tasked Eurocontrol to develop coordinated EU crisis management plan

• April 19, EU ministers of transport: A three zone-division

• April 20, air traffic up with 40%

• April 22, back to normal

Characteristics

• Affected 27 national jurisdictions

• Affected national– European – international level

• National collective action problem: total flight stop

• Weak public-private coordination (no avation

companies)

• Weak cross sectoral coordination

• From aviation to mobility crisis

• Challenges: hundreds of reports, total flight stop only

solution on national level

Subsidiarity principle: Ash cloud crisis

Problem Level

Inefficient national decisions and capacity

What can the EU offer?

What can the EU offer?

Before Under After crisis

• Facilitate coordination

• Lead cooperation

• Recommend

• Guidelines (national action plans)

• Capacity goals

• Binding law and rules

• Common procurement

• Common resources (EU budget)

EU level

National

Regional/

local

Levels

Sense-making, communication, prevention,

early warning, preparation, exercise, evaluation?

Sector X,

Phase Y

Decision making, coping, resources

development, resource spool, crisis reports,

preparation, reform work?

coping, resources development, crisis reports,

preparation?

EU crisis management

Lessons from ash cloud crisis

• Sense-making needed at EU level

• EU coordination for common message (explainEuropean ”fly zones”)

• Decision making: binding EU rules

• Increased competence for European Aviation SafetyAgency

• EU protection of vulnerable citizens

• EU capacity for learning

Project: planned result

• Methods for identifying and evaluating transboundaryvulnerabilities and crisis

• Model for analysis of when, where, how EU cooperation for application of subsidiarity principle

• Empirical case studies

• Proposals: - More effctive division of competence

- ”EU-preparedness guidelines” fortransboundary crisis