Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 February 2014
154. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason no application was made to the EU Emergency Response Co-ordination Centre for assistance in establishing the scale of flooding and coastal damage caused by the storms that have affected the country since December 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8726/14]
View answerThe EU Emergency Response Co-ordination Centre (ERCC) is operated by DG ECHO of the European Commission under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The objective of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism is to have arrangements in place to co-ordinate the provision by Member States of mutual aid to another Member State or Third Country in the event of an emergency which has overwhelmed that State’s own response capacity. The function of the ERCC is to liaise with the affected country which requests assistance, to co-ordinate the dispatch of assistance from other Member States and to share any relevant information. The Mechanism operates under the principle of subsidiarity and can only be initiated with a formal request for assistance from an affected Member State. In view of the fact that our national response resources were not overwhelmed during the period of severe weather, and the response was effectively managed at local level, no request was made to the ERCC for assistance. I understand that under a mutual agreement, UK and Northern Ireland electricity have been assisting the ESB with power restoration since 17 February.
