IIASA researcher Reinhard Mechler has been appointed as one of six scientific experts to the European Commission's newly established PreparEU Advisory Group, which aims to strengthen Europe's preparedness and resilience in the face of growing disaster risks, extreme weather events, and emerging threats.
© IIASA
The PreparEU Advisory Group will provide strategic advice to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib on how to better anticipate, prevent, and respond to increasingly complex and interconnected risks.
The initiative brings together 11 senior experts in civil protection and crisis management, supported by six scientists and academics from across Europe. It reflects a growing recognition of the need to move beyond reactive disaster response towards a more proactive, integrated, and science-informed approach to risk management.
Mechler, who leads the Systemic Risk and Resilience Research Group in the IIASA Advancing Systems Analysis Program, brings more than 25 years of experience in analyzing the socioeconomic dimensions of disaster and climate risks. His research focuses on evidence-based disaster risk management and climate adaptation, particularly the assessment of systemic risks to inform policy decisions.
The advisory group will assess existing European disaster response capacities, including those under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and rescEU – the EU's strategic reserve of emergency response resources – and examine the short- and long-term impacts of natural hazards, technological risks, and other threats. Its work will also consider the cascading consequences of disasters for critical infrastructure, emergency healthcare, shelter, and population movements.
Priorities will include strengthening prevention and preparedness through new capabilities and initiatives, such as a European Firefighting Fleet. This work will support the EU Preparedness Union Strategy's goal of improving Europe's ability to manage crises through greater coordination and cooperation.
The group held its first meeting in November, with recommendations expected to be presented to President von der Leyen and Commissioner Lahbib by spring 2027.
Read the original announcement by the European Commission.
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