Genesis of civil-protection systems in EU member states: a state-administrative perspective

Abstract

The article was devoted to illuminating the evolution of civil-protection systems in the member states of the European Union through a state-administrative lens, showing how post-war “civil-defence” arrangements gradually matured into an integrated, multi-level disaster-management architecture anchored in Article 196 TFEU and Decision 1313/2013/EU. It demonstrated that the creation of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) acted as a catalyst for professionalisation, standard harmonisation and faster cross-border assistance, while still respecting the subsidiarity principle that leaves primary responsibility with national authorities.

Considered were the tangible outcomes of adopting different institutional models in France, Germany and Sweden, where centralised, federal and network-centric approaches shaped mobilisation speed and resilience to transboundary threats in contrasting ways. The analysis showed that France’s highly centralised structure enabled rapid decision-making and unified information flows, whereas Germany’s federal system benefited from a vast volunteer base but lost time during inter-state coordination. Sweden’s hybrid agency-municipal scheme excelled in knowledge sharing yet revealed territorial capacity gaps in sparsely populated regions.

Investigated were the determinants that had underpinned successful modernisation: enactment of comprehensive legal frameworks, stable financing via the EU Solidarity Fund and Cohesion Policy, and the deployment of digital platforms such as Copernicus and CECIS. Countries that conducted systematic post-crisis audits and invested in continuous staff training certified rescEU modules more swiftly and recorded higher readiness indices for climate-induced emergencies.

Deserved special attention were the challenges accompanying digitalisation and demographic shrinkage of volunteer forces. Expansion of ICT simultaneously enhanced situational awareness and generated novel cyber-risks, while declining youth participation threatened the sustainability of ground units. The study concluded that further reinforcement of EU civil protection required a dual strategy: deepening the Union-level rescEU reserve and pursuing adaptive national reforms oriented toward “trust-by-design,” open interaction and inclusive public participation.