[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/10361\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EIn polycrisis world, Europe gains from sharing emergency supplies and tapping expertise\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOf all the areas of EU activity, crisis management may be among the least well-known and the most rapidly evolving.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ERussia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the ensuing refugee wave have led to the EU\u2019s largest operation under the two-decade-old Civil Protection Mechanism (CPM).\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn 2021, as wildfires swept across Europe, countries including Austria, Italy, Greece and Cyprus relied on the CPM to help fight the flames. The same summer, Belgium requested CPM support to cope with devastating floods. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIt was also activated in connection with the Covid-19 pandemic that began in 2020.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EUnderpinned by an Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) staffed around the clock, the CPM bolsters cooperation among Member States in responding to disasters.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn 2019, the CPM was upgraded with the addition of a \u201crescEU\u201d component featuring a new European reserve of resources including firefighting aircraft, medical evacuation planes, medicines and field hospitals.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EWith Europe bracing for more frequent and testing crises, scientific advice in the field has become increasingly important for policymakers. Recent \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/op.europa.eu\/en\/publication-detail\/-\/publication\/dffc8b4b-801d-11ed-9887-01aa75ed71a1\/language-en\u0022\u003Erecommendations\u003C\/a\u003E on strategic crisis management in the EU emerged from the European Commission\u2019s Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM).\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThis mechanism includes the Science Advice for Policy by European Academies (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/sapea.info\/\u0022\u003ESAPEA\u003C\/a\u003E) consortium, which gathers expertise from more than 100 institutions across Europe, and the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors (\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu\/strategy\/support-policy-making\/scientific-support-eu-policies\/group-chief-scientific-advisors_en\u0022\u003EGSCA\u003C\/a\u003E), who provide independent guidance informed by the evidence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EHorizon Magazine asked \u003Cstrong\u003EMaarja Kruusmaa\u003C\/strong\u003E, one of seven GSCA members and a professor at Tallinn University of Technology in Estonia, to comment on the role of scientific advice in EU crisis management. Kruusmaa, an Estonian native, is a computer scientist with a research focus on underwater robotics. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E1.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;What is the context for the SAM recommendations and what makes them useful?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EScientific advice for strategic crisis management was requested by the European Commission, particularly by Research Commissioner Mariya Gabriel and Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenar\u010di\u010d, so clearly it was feeling a sense of urgency and need for better guidance in turbulent times.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EScientific advice is based on scientific evidence and, for that, SAPEA has gathered evidence from the best experts in Europe and worldwide.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ESAPEA members are European academies and networks of European academies that each will search for the best expertise among their members and other researchers in their countries.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E2.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;What role does time play in scientific advice for crisis management?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe timeliness of scientific advice is important and gathering evidence takes time.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EHowever, different crises \u2013 be they earthquakes, heatwaves, wars, cyberattacks or whatever \u2013 have certain common features. This makes it possible to draw lessons from one or another crisis and apply it to the next one, even if we do not know what the next one is exactly going to be.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ESAPEA has done great work in bringing out widely applicable approaches for crisis prevention, management and recovery.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E3.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Can scientific advice be given in advance of a crisis to help speed responses to it?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter spending lots of time reading and listening to the evidence of the best scientific experts, I am convinced that a great deal of advice can be provided in advance.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIt means we can prepare for future crises even if we do not know exactly what they are. Just to bring out one of our main recommendations: coordination and information sharing between different actors involved in crisis management can be improved and this can and should be done in advance.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EA positive example here is the ERCC, which has done exactly that, and learning and getting better while facing one crisis after another.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E4.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Are the nature and frequency of crises changing? \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EYes. We predict more instances of polycrisis. That means many crises at the same time, cascading crises with one causing the next one and crises spreading across borders.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThis is because the world is becoming more tightly connected. For example, a cyberattack can cause damage in seconds on the other side of the planet or diseases can spread worldwide in weeks by masses of people travelling on planes.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIt does not mean we did not have cascading crisis before, but technology makes them spread faster and farther.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E5.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;Does the EU need better crisis management and, if so, how can it be achieved?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EYes, Europe needs better crisis management. If the nature of crises is changing, the way we manage them needs to change too.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EEurope has already taken steps in the right direction, with the ERCC and whole CPM being good examples.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EHowever, as cross-sectoral crises are increasing, we need better coordination and cooperation to tackle transborder and transboundary crises.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E6.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;What are the EU\u2019s crisis-management strengths and are they harnessed enough?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EEurope is culturally, economically and geographically diverse. The Member States and sometimes also the regions of the EU have high autonomy.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIn a complex crisis, autonomy can be a strength because it allows a fast response on site and in a way that is most suitable for the local circumstances.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EHowever, on the EU level there is lot of work to make sure the local, regional and national authorities cooperate and coordinate with each other.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E7.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;How important are things such as EU firefighting aircraft and medicine stocks? \u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAssets such as firefighting planes and certain medical supplies are expensive, especially when they stay in stock and possibly won\u2019t get used in their lifetime.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EIt is therefore beneficial to all Member States to share responsibility for storing some of those critical assets and share them if disaster strikes. The same holds for information.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EHowever, here it is especially important to keep working on the pooling of knowledge and integration platforms. These are databases that bring together information from several sources in formats that are standardised. This permits data from various sources to be merged.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThis could, for example, be data on ocean currents collected from the same location used to collect information on temperatures or wind speeds. Or it could be data from various locations in Europe.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAll this is important because, when the crisis hits, you need to make decisions fast.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E8.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;How do you rate the EU response to the Covid-19 pandemic that began in 2020?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe success was obviously what scientists could quickly find out about the nature of the disease and develop the vaccines.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ERegarding what could have been done better, it would have been more useful for governments to rely on interdisciplinary teams of scientific advice \u2013 in other words, groups of specialists from various fields. We could see how problems spread from the medical sphere to the social, economic, educational and beyond.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EBut we now have a perfect opportunity to learn from a previous crisis, generalise and apply the lessons learned for the next.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E9. Had you taken a different career path, what would it likely have been and why?\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EI can imagine having taken a different path \u2013 not because computer science and underwater robotics are not interesting but because many other things are interesting too.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EFor example, Earth science or languages. I have also founded a few companies and can very well imagine an entrepreneurial career path.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003ECuriosity helps a lot when it comes to giving scientific advice. If you are inherently curious, it helps you to listen to experts in other fields and understand them. It also helps to translate the knowledge between disciplines and professions.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EScientific advisors are actually translators \u2013 they translate the scientific evidence to policymakers. It helps to know and be curious about how both worlds operate and what the other side needs to know.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EIf you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-zrkqub05lmdueafcdyhemfvwu-l7n2af4jv-aovcagi\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-ZRkQuB05LMDuEafCDyHEmfvwU_L7N2aF4Jv-AovCaGI\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]