But instead of being complacent, let’s take advantage of the difficult circumstances to create an even stronger shield for the citizens, emphasized Mr. Hardalias
Before us are great challenges, both from natural phenomena and from the behavior of authoritarian regimes that despise the international legal order.
But instead of being complacent, let’s take advantage of the difficult circumstances to create an even stronger shield for citizens, both from natural disasters and from external threats. This was emphasized, among others, by the Deputy Minister of National Defence, Nikos Hardalias, who participated as a speaker through a video message at the Nicosia Risk Forum 2022, on the topic of “Disaster Management Challenges and Solutions in the Era of Climate Crisis” of natural disasters and solutions in an era of Climate Crisis).
He pointed out that there is a need for “better coordination of the members of the European family in the field of natural and other disaster management and the involvement of the Armed Forces in such situations, sparingly and only when we know that their contribution can really make a difference”.
N. Hardalias also underlined that the importance of Civil Protection “for safeguarding the life, safety, health and property of citizens, is constantly increasing”.
As he stated, this is because it is “climate data itself that now reminds us on a daily basis, that the climate crisis systematically causes natural disasters, which can only be dealt with by a robust, specialized and well-organized mechanism, which will be of the undivided support of the State”.
He referred to his tenure, first as general secretary and then as deputy minister in the Ministry of Civil Protection, citing deep cuts that took place during his days, with an upgrade in the level of staff training, an increase in the number of staff, but also a radical change in coordination mechanism between the State services to deal with natural disasters.
He added that “we drastically changed the operational design, secured European funds to improve our equipment and infrastructure, made the necessary legislative reforms and, most importantly, changed the philosophy, the culture with which the Civil Protection by Citizens was treated until then and prisoners”.
“This very spirit of professionalism, dedication and self-sacrifice, which I encountered in Civil Protection, I was lucky enough to encounter in the Armed Forces” added N. Hardalias.
“In Greece”, he continued, “Civil Protection and the Armed Forces are in continuous cooperation, with the aim of the safety of the citizens. And I can assure you from my experience with both ministries, that this collaboration has always been one of the best and most productive, compared to the rest of the state agencies and services.”
“However”, he clarified, “the developments of recent years in the field of international relations require a differentiation in the way we perceive the role of our military personnel in the field of Civil Protection. The State must manage its expectations more rationally, with regard to the Armed Forces and their utilization in the prevention, or even in the mitigation of the consequences of natural disasters”.
The Armed Forces “can no longer be used as a last-ditch solution to patch up perennial pathologies of the state apparatus, including the management of natural disasters,” said the Deputy Minister of National Defense. “They should be involved in such situations sparingly and only when we know their contribution can really make a difference. Any other approach unnecessarily strains personnel and resources and, inductively, endangers national defense and security, i.e. the necessary prerequisites for the realization of other national goals and priorities.”
As announced, this year’s Forum, which is co-organized by the CERIDES Foundation of the European University of Cyprus, the Cyprus Fire Service and Civil Defense, with the cooperation of the Office of the European Parliament in Cyprus and the Union for the Mediterranean, is being held today and tomorrow in Larnaca, Cyprus
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