The External Dimension of the EU Disaster Response

This chapter analyses how the European Union responds to overseas natural and man-made disasters, and discusses the main legal issues involved in Union’s action. The first part of the chapter is devoted to the existing instrument established by the EU institutions before the entry into force of the Lisbon Treaty. The analysis reveals a multifaceted scenario: besides some general tools, which are complementary and thus form a global platform for EU response in overseas disasters, the action of the Union has been developed through sector instruments that in some cases risk undermining the efficiency and coherence of the response. The second part of the chapter discusses the innovations introduced by the Lisbon Treaty in this domain. In particular, it shows how these innovations (such as the establishment of a general framework of the EU external action, the establishment of new coordinating tools and tasks, the provision of a new explicit legal basis for humanitarian aid) may contribute to ensure a more efficient and consistent management of the external dimension of the EU disaster response