In Greece, the Ministry for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection (MCCCP) was created in 2021 to address the climate emergency facing the country. Indeed, in August 2021, Greece was badly affected by fires which devastated over 116,000 hectares of forests during a heatwave.
The prevention and anticipation of natural disasters are regarded as the most effective weapon to tackle the consequences of climate change.
It is in this context that the “Managing emergencies and the climate crisis” project, financed by the European Union, was launched in the following year with an implementation by Expertise France at the request of the Greek authorities.
Improving the response to emergency situations and climate change
The project provides technical assistance for risk prevention and the preparation and response to emergency situations and climate change. The objective is to:
1) Improve the stakeholder coordination and consultation mechanism for risk prevention and the preparation and response to emergency situations
2) Support the development of a strategic plan for climate change adaptation and civil protection.
This project’s main objective is therefore to assist Greece’s efforts to increase its resilience to disasters and strengthen its institutional and administrative capacities.
More specifically, it aims to design, develop and implement reforms to address these disasters, while strengthening the country’s climate resilience.
Implementation of a climate change adaptation strategy
The project’s activities will achieve the following results:
1. Preparation and implementation of an action plan for risk prevention and emergency preparation and response
2. Preparation and implementation of a comprehensive climate change adaptation and civil protection strategy
3. Design and operationalisation of the ministry’s coordination structure and mechanism.
To this end, they will be built around various areas:
• Needs analysis and formulation of recommendations
• Identification of European and international best practices and proposal for adaptation to the country’s specific needs
• Support for the preparation and implementation of a national action plan for disaster risk management
• Support for the implementation of the climate change adaptation strategy and action plan and its links with civil protection
• Support for the design and implementation of the portfolio of civil protection projects
• Formulation of recommendations on the structure of the ministry.
