EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement
Encyclopedia
The EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement is a Partial Agreement
of the Council of Europe
, set up in 1987 by Resolution (87) 2 of the Committee of Ministers
. Its full name is "Co-operation Group for the Prevention of, Protection Against, and Organisation of Relief in Major Natural and Technological Disasters (EUR-OPA)".
Its aims are to develop disaster
prediction research, risk management
, post-crisis analysis and rehabilitation.
The Agreement supports the development of specialised scientific and technical centres on both sides of the Mediterranean. Many of the research activities are organised through a network of these centres.
It also includes a European Alert System
, which is an earthquake disaster alert and rapid response system, run by the Strasbourg secretariat in cooperation with the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre.
Council of Europe member States party to the EUR-OPA treaty (as of September 2011) are Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Georgia, Greece, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Spain, Turkey and Ukraine. Council of Europe
non-members party to EUR-OPA are Algeria, Lebanon and Morocco. Participatin international organisations include the European Union
, the World Health Organisation, UNOCHA
, UNESCO
and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
.
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Monaco joined the Agreement before they joined the Council of Europe. Italy was a member of the Agreement from 1987 to 2002. Israel
was also a member until 1996.
on the theme "Protecting societies from disasters through preparedness and prevention: a political priority".
A network of permanent correspondents meets regularly between these sessions to coordinate the activities.
The Agreement functions with a small secretariat, based at the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg
in the Agora building.
Partial agreement
Partial agreement is a term used within the Council of Europe to refer to a major activity of European cooperation that is organised by the Council of Europe but does not include all of its member states. This form of activity dates from a resolution adopted by the Council of Europe's Committee of...
of the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
, set up in 1987 by Resolution (87) 2 of the Committee of Ministers
Committee of Ministers
The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe or commonly the Committee of Ministers is the Council of Europe's decision-making body. It comprises the Foreign Affairs Ministers of all the member states, or their permanent diplomatic representatives in Strasbourg...
. Its full name is "Co-operation Group for the Prevention of, Protection Against, and Organisation of Relief in Major Natural and Technological Disasters (EUR-OPA)".
Its aims are to develop disaster
Natural disaster
A natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard . It leads to financial, environmental or human losses...
prediction research, risk management
Risk management
Risk management is the identification, assessment, and prioritization of risks followed by coordinated and economical application of resources to minimize, monitor, and control the probability and/or impact of unfortunate events or to maximize the realization of opportunities...
, post-crisis analysis and rehabilitation.
The Agreement supports the development of specialised scientific and technical centres on both sides of the Mediterranean. Many of the research activities are organised through a network of these centres.
It also includes a European Alert System
European Alert System
The European Alert System is an earthquake warning system for member states of the Council of Europe's EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement....
, which is an earthquake disaster alert and rapid response system, run by the Strasbourg secretariat in cooperation with the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre.
Members
The agreement is known as an "open" agreement, States do not have to be member States of the Council of Europe in order to join. As of September 2011, 23 Council of Europe member States and 3 Non-member States of the Council of Europe are party to the agreement. Several International organisations also participate.Council of Europe member States party to the EUR-OPA treaty (as of September 2011) are Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, France, Georgia, Greece, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Portugal, Romania, Russia, San Marino, Serbia, Spain, Turkey and Ukraine. Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
non-members party to EUR-OPA are Algeria, Lebanon and Morocco. Participatin international organisations include the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, the World Health Organisation, UNOCHA
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs , is a United Nations body formed in December 1991 by General Assembly Resolution 46/182...
, UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is a humanitarian institution that is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement along with the ICRC and 186 distinct National Societies...
.
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Monaco joined the Agreement before they joined the Council of Europe. Italy was a member of the Agreement from 1987 to 2002. Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
was also a member until 1996.
Ministers and correspondents
The Agreement organises a ministerial session every two or three years, which sets the priorities for activities. The latest of these, the 11th session, took place on 31 October 2006 in MarrakechMarrakech
Marrakech or Marrakesh , known as the "Ochre city", is the most important former imperial city in Morocco's history...
on the theme "Protecting societies from disasters through preparedness and prevention: a political priority".
A network of permanent correspondents meets regularly between these sessions to coordinate the activities.
The Agreement functions with a small secretariat, based at the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
in the Agora building.
External links
- Major Hazards Agreement website
- Contribution of the EUR-OPA Major HazardsAgreement of the Council of Europe, F. Tondre, 2005, Retrieved 18-10-2008
- OCHA Disaster Response Preparedness Toolkit