Over the last few decades, civil protection has become prominent on the main international agendas, especially given the effects of the increasingly frequent disasters, with greater impact, that make international cooperation a fundamental tool to promote efficacy improvements, whether for prevention, or the preparation and response action.

In Portugal, the Minister of Home Affairs is charged with ensuring relations concerning internal administration policy with the European Union, other governments, and international organizations, without prejudice to the powers of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and under the goals set for Portuguese foreign policy.

The Civil Protection Basic Law envisages that civil protection may be carried out outside national soil, under the international commitments and the applicable international law standards, in cooperation with foreign States or international organizations to which Portugal belongs. The National Commission for Civil Protection is charged with appraising the agreements or conventions on international cooperation in civil protection, as well as draft with the Government requests for assisting other countries and international organizations through the competent bodies. 

Cooperation

Over the years, Portugal has been strengthening its international cooperation relations by entering into bilateral agreements with other countries and through taking part in bodies and organisations tasked with civil protection missions.

 The agreements and protocols entered into by Portugal under international cooperation are as follows:

• Protocol on Technical Cooperation and Mutual Assistance in Civil Protection between the Portuguese Republic and the Kingdom of Spain (1992) and Additional protocol between the Portuguese Republic and the Kingdom of Spain on mutual assistance in the border regions (2015)
• Agreement between the Portuguese Republic and the French Republic in the field of Civil Protection (1995 and 2015)
• Agreement between the Government of the Portuguese Republic and the Government of the Russian Federation on Cooperation in the field of civil protection, prevention, and emergency management (1998)
• Cooperation agreement between the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Government of the Portuguese Republic on civil protection (1992)
• Cooperation protocol between the Portuguese Ministry of Home Affairs and the Cape Verdean Ministry of Defence on civil protection – (1998)
• Agreement between the Portuguese Republic and the Tunisian Republic on cooperation in the field of civil protection (2017)
• Cooperation protocol between the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Portuguese Republic and the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Mozambique on civil protection and firefighters (2018)
• Agreement between the Portuguese Republic and the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria on cooperation in the field of civil protection (2018)
• Agreement between the Portuguese Republic and the Hellenic Republic on assistance and cooperation in the field of civil protection (2023).

Through the ANEPC, Portugal also ensures participation in the various fields of civil protection under a multilateral framework, namely:

• Council of Europe – European and Mediterranean Major Hazards Agreement 
• International Civil Defence Organization (ICDO) – Observer member status
• NATO – Civil Protection Committee
• United Nations
• UNDRR – United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (the ANEPC is the national focal point for the UNDRR / Sendai Framework)
• UNECE – Convention on Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents
• IAEA – International Atomic Energy Agency
• UNESCO – Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission
• European Commission
• Civil Protection Committee
• National Authorities Committee for the ECURIE exchange system
• Critical Entities Resilience Group
• EU Civil Protection Mechanism Training Policy Group
• Expert Group on CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Nuclear, and Radiological)
• Expert Group on SEVESO III Directive
• Expert Group on Forest Fires
• Expert Group on Civil Protection Modules
• Expert Group on Early Warning Systems
• Expert Group on Emergency Management and Disaster
•  Fire Information Exchange Platform (FIEP).
• Council of the European Union (Working Party on Civil Protection of the Council of the European Union - preparation)
• Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (High Level Risk Forum)
• Union for the Mediterranean (UfM)
• EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

EU Civil Protection Mechanism

The European Union Civil Protection Mechanism was set up in 2001 to strengthen cooperation between the EU and Member States and facilitate coordination in civil protection to improve PREVENTION, PREPAREDNESS AND RESPONSE to disasters.

This instrument is made up of voluntary capabilities (resources, experts, and civil protection modules), the size and training of which is suited to the emergency in question. These capabilities come from the participating States, the 27 Member States, as well as Norway, Iceland, Montenegro, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Servia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, and Ukraine.

The assistance provided can include sending goods, experts, intervention teams, and civil protection modules, as well as teams to assess and coordinate and liaise with the local authorities and international organizations, and teams for prevention and preparedness missions.

Portugal actively collaborates in the Mechanism and has provided international assistance on several occasions, sending assistance of varying types, proving that the National Civil Protection System is able to effectively intervene in various disasters, showing a true spirit of solidarity both inside and outside the European Union.

International assistance provided by Portugal