Building a New Comprehensive EU Database of Cross-Border Agreements in Disaster and Risk Management

The recent study on Strengthening the resilience of EU border regions: Mapping risks & crisis management tools and identifying gaps carried out by a consortium led by Technopolis Group with CMCC and Nordregio as partners on behalf of DG REGIO and DG ECHO involved creating a comprehensive inventory encompassing agreements from various sources with relevance to cross-border Disaster Risk Management.

More than 250 agreements were identified, shedding light on the dynamics of bilateral and multi-border cooperation. This article presents the key findings and main implications of this comprehensive database.

Bilateral vs. Multi-Border Agreements

Out of the 268 agreements catalogued, 192 are dedicated to a single border, while 76 are multi-border in nature. The number of bilateral agreements often reflect the legal systems of the respective countries involved. The existence of overall horizontal agreements, as observed in some instances, suggests the potential for streamlined bilateral cooperation. Moreover,a greater number of agreements contribute to more nuanced and tailored cooperation frameworks.

Borders with High Agreement Density

Certain borders emerge as focal points with a substantial number of agreements, highlighting the significance of these regions in cross-border collaboration. Noteworthy examples include all the Austrian borders (43 agreements with the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Italy, Germany, Slovenia, and Hungary), the border between the Czech Republic and Slovakia (CZ/SK) and the one between France and Italy (FR-IT) with 11 agreements each, and the border between Spain and Portugal (ES/PT) with ten agreements. The prevalence of agreements in these regions underscores the commitment to addressing shared risks and challenges through robust cross-border cooperation mechanisms.

Risk Distribution Across Agreements

The diversity of risks covered in the agreements underscores the comprehensive nature of the inventory. More than half of the agreements pertain to multi-risk scenarios, demonstrating a proactive approach to handling a range of potential challenges. Nuclear and radiological accidents, flooding, migration, disruption of critical infrastructure, and wildfires are among the most addressed risks. On the contrary, certain risks such as droughts, geophysical risks, animal and plant diseases, terrorism, and epidemics/pandemics have relatively fewer corresponding agreements.

The development of this comprehensive EU inventory not only provides a valuable resource for EU, national and regional policymakers and stakeholders but also offers valuable insights into the dynamics and potential of cross-border cooperation in the domain of DRM. As the world grapples with evolving risks, this inventory serves as a useful foundation for fostering cross-border collaboration and building risk resilient communities across borders.