Building cross-border resilience to animal diseases through joint crisis management
Beneficiaries & Territory
Region of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace (EL) and Regional Administration of Smolyan (BG)
Regions of Eastern Macedonia & Thrace in Greece and Smolyan in Bulgaria
Goal
Enhance the resilience of the cross-border region between Eastern Macedonia & Thrace (Greece) and Smolyan (Bulgaria) by addressing the critical issue of Transboundary Animal Diseases (TADs) by developing a joint crisis management plan. The project will equip both regions with the necessary tools, processes, and coordination mechanisms to swiftly and effectively respond to animal disease outbreaks.
Specific objectives
- Actively engage with all relevant stakeholders in both regions to understand the current state of play and gaps and improve their capacity to jointly address crises across the border.
- Equip the regions with tools, processes and a joint crisis management plan that will guarantee a swift reaction to potential animal disease crisis situations.
- Improve the coordination of the two regions with National and European/International authorities active in this field.
Planned activities
- Mapping of existing plans, processes, regulations, projects and stakeholders through desk research.
- Organisation of a stakeholder consultation to identify gaps and main barriers that do not allow for the identified existing solutions to be applied.
- Presentation of the findings and stakeholders’ consultation to gather inputs.
- Identification of best practices from other EU regions with similar that could be applied in the local context through desk research and interviews with -among others- DG SANTE, EFSA, DG REGIO, FAO, Frontex.
- Development of a joint crisis management plan that will include the identified roles and responsibilities of main partners on both sides of the border, an outline of the chain of command, strategies for communication and coordination among the teams to be involved in a crisis situation.
- Application and improvement of the plan through a simulation to refine the plan with outcomes of the test.
- Presentation of the findings with stakeholders’ consultation to ensure all feedback is incorporated and finalise the plan.
- Awareness raising campaign on social and local media.