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Regional Secretariat for cooperation in CBRN Risk Mitigation opened in Tbilisi, Georgia

EU CBRN Risk Mitigation CoE Initiative

Tbilisi/Brussels -


 




Funded by the European Union

Today, a EU CBRN CoE Regional Secretariat was opened in Tbilisi. It promotes cooperation in the field of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear risk mitigation among the countries of South East Europe, Southern Caucasus, Moldova and Ukraine. The new Regional Secretariat is located in the premises of the Academy of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

The inauguration was followed by a three-day Round Table Discussion among experts from Albania, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Georgia, Montenegro, Moldova, Serbia and Ukraine. National Focal Points from these partner countries will discuss the current state of play of the initiative. Discussions focus on the exchange of best practices and confidence building measures in the CBRN area.

As a result of the on-going activities under the EU CBRN CoE Initiative in the South East Europe, Southern Caucasus, Moldova and Ukraine region, fourteen projects addressing countries’ needs were launched by the European Commission in early 2013. Project examples are in the area of biosafety and biosecurity, awareness raising on the concept of CBRN Risk Mitigation and in the area of chemical security.

The latest project being launched in this region shall assist the countries to build up the necessary strength to identify and respond to threats from CBRN substances; work will be done by EU Member States Agencies in close cooperation with the authorities from the partner countries. The objective of this project is to counter the threats arising from CBRN agents in particular when used in a criminal or terrorist context.

The EU CBRN CoE Risk Mitigation Initiative is a European Union initiative jointly implemented by the EU Directorate General (DG) Development and Cooperation – EuropeAid (DEVCO), the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC), the European External Action Service (EEAS) and the United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI). The EU CBRN CoE is developed by the European Union through the EU Instrument for Stability with a budget of 95 million Euros for 2009 – 2013.
The Initiative aims at mitigating CBRN risks of criminal, accidental or natural origin by promoting a coherent policy, improving coordination and preparedness at national and regional levels and by offering a comprehensive approach covering legal, scientific, enforcement and technical issues. It mobilises national, regional and international resources to develop a coherent CBRN approach at all levels, thereby aiming to ensure an effective response. It consolidates and optimises existing capabilities while increasing local ownership, local expertise and long-term sustainability, addressing regional CBRN needs through tailored projects and thus strengthening policies, institutional capacity building at both regional and national levels as well as a regional culture of safety and security. The initiative involves over 50 countries and has been launched, apart from the region embracing South East Europe, Southern Caucasus, Moldova and Ukraine, in further seven different regions of the world, namely the African Atlantic Façade, Central Asia, Eastern and Central Africa, the Gulf Cooperation Council Countries, Middle East; North Africa, and South East Asia. Regional Secretariats in Manila, Rabat and Amman have been opened.

The Regional Secretariats ensure cooperation and coordination with partner countries and are responsible for supporting them with the identification of needs, the formulation of regional project proposals, the development of national action plans and the implementation of projects.

 

For more information:

CBRN Centres of Excellence website:
http://www.cbrn-coe.eu/

European Commission, Instrument contributing to Stability and Peace website:
http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/fpi/what-we-do/instrument_contributing_to_stability_and_peace_en.htm