Background
South East Europe is seeing an increase in frequency, unpredictability and intensity of disasters. Most hazards have the potential to become transboundary events for which regional collaboration is key. The global health emergency COVID-19 has shown how easily national and regional markets for essential stocks can collapse and hence how important it is to have adequate cross-border stockpiling and transportation strategies in place. This type of major challenge shows that efficiency in coordination and cooperation between SEE states as well as CSOs is far from being sufficient.
Aims and objectives
The specific objective of the X-STOCK project is to enhance cross-border emergency management in Bulgaria, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia by enhancing cross-border preparedness through shared management of emergency stock. The X-STOCK project will identify existing gaps of cross-border emergency response regarding policies, emergency stocks and cross-border agreements for support with emergency items. Recommendations for will be outlined. National pre-disaster agreements on emergency stocks between stakeholders in civil protection will be revised and a cross-border agreement on joint stock management will be drafted. A regional stock management strategy and a software application for joint regional stock record/management will be developed & tested. Recommendations for replication and scale-up in neighboring countries will be formulated.
Main results and activities
- 5 national analysis reports on existing stakeholders, policies, emergency stocks and cross-border agreements including recommendations for improvements of procedures, policies and agreements, as well as one regional analysis report
- Compiling a regional stock management strategy and developing a software application for joint regional stock record and management
- National tabletop exercises (TTX) to test the developed tools and a regional remote, x-border TTX
- Final conference with regional outreach promoting results and roll-out in neighboring countries
Project consortium
- Austrian Red Cross (lead)
- Bulgarian Red Cross
- Croatian Red Cross
- Red Cross of the Republic of North Macedonia
- Protection and Rescue Directorate of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of North Macedonia
- Red Cross of Montenegro
- Rescue and Direction Directorate of the Ministry of Interior of Montenegro
- Red Cross of Serbia
- International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
Duration 1 April 2021 – 31 March 2023
Budget 579.057 EUR (funded by European Union, ADA and the AutRC)