Floods, forest fires, bombings, swine flu: In less than a decade, Europe has witnessed a series of large-scale natural disasters, widespread illness, and two major terrorist attacks. Catastrophes do not recognize national borders, and policy makers have increasingly realized that cooperation within the Union is a necessary prerequisite for efficient crisis management. Consequently, the EU Member States are seeking more multilateral cooperation. A system of common arrangements for handling emergencies or disasters has emerged, which, due to its quick and ad-hoc development, may seem almost impenetrable to newcomers to the field.
Crisis Management in the European Union: Cooperation in the Face of Emergencies seeks to provide a much-needed overview of disaster and crisis management systems in the EU. It provides a basic understanding of how EU policy has evolved, the EU's mandate, and above all, a concise and hands-on description of the most central crisis management arrangements.
Stefan Olsson, editor of Crisis Management in the European Union, said, "Based on our experience, we have come to understand that knowledge of the features of the EU crisis management system is not widely spread, either among the Member States or within the EU itself. The system is still being developed and basic information on how the system works is not easy to obtain. Therefore we decided to write this book. It gives a basic introduction to the system, both to specific details and to its overall context."
With contributions by some of Europe's main experts and consultants in the field, this book represents a unique and comprehensive source of information for everyone involved or interested in the European Union crisis management system – policy makers, researchers, journalists and students.
Stefan Olsson (Ed.)
Crisis Management in the European Union
Cooperation in the Face of Emergencies
2009, XII, 171 p. 13 illus., Hardcover EUR 74.95, $119.00, £67.99
ISBN: 978-3-642-00696-8