The flood disaster of July 2021 caused major material damage and deaths in, among others, the Meuse-Rhine Euregio (EMR), the area where EMRIC services are responsible for crisis management and disaster response. 

At the request of the partner organisations of the EMRIC network, ITEM carried out research into the requirements of cross-border crisis management in the event of the 2021 flood as part of the INTERREG Project MAHRETAK. The study, drafted by  Martin Unfried (ITEM) and Pim Mertens (ITEM) is named "Innovative forms of cooperation and crisis management at the strategic political level".

EMRIC is a unique partnership of public services responsible for fire fighting, technical assistance, emergency response, infectious diseases and disaster and crisis management in their areas. While specific areas of disaster response and emergency management are already coordinated in EMRIC, flooding as a crisis goes beyond EMRIC cooperation and requires the combination of national, regional and Euroregional levels. The aim of the study was to examine the current situation of crisis management at the administrative and political level across the border and to discuss recommendations for the partners of this INTERREG project that could improve cross-border crisis management in the future.

Read the complete study here!