The EU as Regulator of Civil Security across Europe

Natural disasters, industrial or large-scale transport accidents, health threats or the response to terrorist attacks have risen to feature prominently on the agenda of European security policy-makers and practitioners over the last decade. States and international organizations, most notably the European Union, have established a plethora of policies and mechanisms to deal with these risks and crises. This edited volume is the first publication to examine the resulting cross-cutting, multi-level policy space of European civil security governance in its different manifestations and consequences. Thus, this study identifies patterns of diversity and commonality between European states and international organizations, elucidates the process of transformation and reviews the opportunities for transnational cooperation in the hybrid area of civil security that still often escapes wider public attention. European Civil Security Governance will be of interest to researchers and students of crisis and disaster management, EU integration, international organizations and security governance

Civil security in the EU: national persistence versus EU ambitions?

Noting that European Union (EU) institutions are increasingly engaged in civil protection in the member states, security governance is used as an analytical framework to assess the depth of EU engagement in delivering civil security. It is shown that a state-centric approach is no longer adequate to understand the provision of civil security across Europe. To varying degrees, the EU has acquired responsibilities to facilitate, coordinate, manage, and regulate civil security, whether before or after a civil crisis occurs. The analysis demonstrates that, whilst intergovernmental practices and inter-state cooperation remain salient features of civil security, the responsibilities undertaken by the EU institutions across the entire policy spectrum are more substantial than a strictly intergovernmental perspective would suggest