The European Commission has formally presented to Council and European Parliament its proposal to prolong for a further two years the EU Plan for civil protection, currently approaching its deadline. The Plan whose main objective consists in promoting mutual cooperation and assistance between the civil protection authorities of the 25 should now benefit from supplementary funding amounting to 4.8 million euros (Meuro) up till 31/12/2006, in addition to the 7.5 Meuro already allocated and committed. In view of its available budget, the EU plans to use these funds not to finance major infrastructural projects, but to favour the realization of smaller projects for the information of the public, the training of personnel and cooperation between the services of member states to increase the effectiveness of interventions.
