The European Commission has awarded grants worth over 4 million euros (5.9 million U.S. dollars) to civil protection projects and large-scale pan-European simulation exercises, said the commission Monday.
Seven simulation exercises to be led by Britain, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy and Sweden have been awarded 2.6 million euros (3.8 million dollars).
The exercises will feature a variety of scenarios, including earthquakes and cross-border flooding, said the commission, the executive body of the European Union (EU).
Six selected civil protection projects will share 1.47 million euros (2.17 million dollars) in funding. They are led by organizations from five European countries -- Greece, Sweden, Denmark, Spain and Belgium.
The projects cover fighting forest fires; preparing the public for natural disasters; helping municipalities prepare for climate change and resulting floods; cooperation between European volunteer organizations during emergencies; training professional and volunteer fire-fighters, local civil protection services and volunteer groups for common emergencies; and disseminating the results of previous EU civil protection activities to improve community resilience.
The six projects, which also include organizations from Britain, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, Italy and Portugal, are due to be completed by the end of 2009.
Source:Xinhua
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