Have you ever wondered what happens when disaster strikes or a humanitarian crisis arises? EU Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid experts and partners are there to deliver life-saving aid in these critical situations.
To take you behind the scenes, we’ve partnered up with podcasts in France, Italy and Spain. Through the #EUSolidarityTalks, you’ll hear from podcast hosts and their special guests as they discuss topics such as preparedness against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) risks as well as the EU’s preparations ahead of the wildfire season and response to humanitarian crises around the world.
Our experts will share their personal stories and insights, giving you a glimpse into the challenges they face working on the frontline of emergency and humanitarian response, delivering assistance when failing is not an option.
Listen to the #EUSolidarityTalks below and discover more about the EU’s response to complex crises.
Wildfire season: the EU’s preparedness and response
Wildfires and heatwaves have become more frequent and intense across Europe and around the world. The length and intensity of wildfires have noticeably increased. Fires are now regularly affecting areas which were spared in the past. Climate change has had a significant impact on fire seasons across the globe.
This new breed of wildfires and prolonged fire seasons pose new challenges to firefighting services across Europe, making aerial firefighting more testing and ground operations more critical.
While the 2024 European wildfire season seemed to be less intense than the last 3 years of devastating fires, the European Union is preparing to face a 2025 season with field-tested strategies such as prepositioning firefighters and satellite monitoring.
Tune in to our partner podcasts for expert analysis and first-hand accounts from EU Civil Protection wildfire specialists talking about the EU’s preparation for the 2025 wildfire season.
Featured podcast: Revista 5W
Spanish podcast Revista 5W offers a deep dive on the topic of the month. In this episode, they speak with Héctor Alfaro Fernández, forestry engineer and wildfire expert seconded to the European Commission’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), and Dr Fernando Sedano, scientific officer in the Forest Fire Team at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, about preparing for and monitoring wildfires. The episode also features national expert Dr Xabier Bruña García and photojournalist Adra Pallón.
Coming soon:
Globally Focus: Impact
In this episode of the Italian podcast Globally Focus: Impact by Will Media, Ilja Volpi, duty officer at the European Commission’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) talks about wildfire preparedness and response capacities in the EU.
Programme B
French podcast Programme B by Binge Audio features Claire Kowalewski, French firefighter currently working for the EU Civil Protection. She discusses her experience in forest firefighting in southern France and her work on preparing for the wildfire season at EU level. The second expert, Léo Martinon, takes us behind the scenes of the wildfire response at the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC).
The EU’s preparedness for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) risks
Many everyday items, such as household cleaning products, agricultural fertilisers and hospital equipment using radioactive sources, play a vital role in our daily lives. However, if mishandled, they can all potentially lead to CBRN incidents.
When used safely, these products and materials bring benefits to human health, the environment and the global economy.
However, if not handled properly, CBRN agents can trigger a public emergency. The EU is working to prepare and coordinate with Member States to mitigate these risks.
Although CBRN risks have a low probability of occurrence, their potential impact is high. They require specific protective equipment, detection and decontamination procedures, and medical countermeasures. Response teams who deal with these risks are trained to handle a wide range of scenarios, including chemical hazards, pathogens, toxins and radioactive sources.
To learn more about the EU’s efforts to mitigate the risks of CBRN incidents, listen to our experts as they discuss the European Union’s risk mitigation measures and response strategies against such potential incidents.
Featured podcast: Programme B
In this episode of the French podcast Programme B by Binge Audio, our CBRN programme manager Dr Antonella Cavallo discusses the EU’s preparedness and the latest efforts in keeping the population safe from CBRN risks.
Revista 5W
Every week, Spanish magazine Revista 5W publishes a deep dive podcast episode. In this edition, they speak with Ida Cosentino about the EU’s CBRN preparedness efforts and the development of the rescEU CBRN/medical capabilities and strategic stockpiles.
Globally Focus: Impact
Globally Focus: Impact by Will Media and the Italian Institute for International Political Studies aims to decode today’s complex world. In this episode, the podcasters speak to the rescEU CBRN programme manager Dr Antonella Cavallo about the EU’s preparedness against the risks posed by CBRN materials.
Podcasts 2024
In 2024, our experts talked about the EU medical evacuations from Ukraine, the European Union’s response to climate-change related emergencies, as well as the EU response to health emergencies and disaster preparedness at the heart of EU humanitarian aid.
