In addition, from September 2nd to 4th, the French town of Aix-en-Provence will host a workshop on relations between the EU and the UN for the response to crises and catastrophes, in order to improve the actions carried out by the international communities in case of natural or man-induced events". Such recent events as the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean or the fires and floods of 2007 in Europe "have shown explains the EU presidency that the international community needs to develop a response that is coordinated and integrated, based on the two components of action, which are the civil defence equipment and teams and humanitarian aids". The workshops will bring together the delegates of the civil defence and humanitarian aids of the EU countries, the UN and the European Economic Space. Finally, a conference on "Strengthening peace and security in the African continent" will be held in Paris on September 3rd and 4th. The event, organised by the French Ministry of Defence, will gather about one hundred delegates from the EU and the African Union. Its goals include: the strengthening of political dialogue between the EU and the AU, relations with the local organisations, support to the African action for peace and security.
