South-East Europe Host Nation Support

forthcoming

Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, and Serbia, as Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) Participating States, have both received and provided international aid in recent years, often serving as key transit countries due to their geographic location. However, implementation of the EU HNSG remains inconsistent due to legal and institutional limitations, ad-hoc procedures, and reliance on individual expertise. The SEE Host Nation Support (SEE HNS) Project aims to strengthen national and cross-border systems to institutionalise and operationalise the revised EU HNSG in these three countries. The project will support legal harmonisation, coordination mechanisms, and capacity-building in line with UCPM standards, enhancing overall preparedness and integration into the EU disaster response system. This effort aligns with the broader UCPM objectives, ensuring that these non-EU Member State, UCPM Participating States can effectively integrate into the European Union disaster response system. This project is fully aligned with the overarching objectives of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) and directly addresses Priority 4 of the call—ensuring a robust civil protection system by strengthening institutional preparedness and individual capacity. Specifically, the SEE HNS Project contributes to: • Strengthening national systems for receiving, providing, and transiting international assistance; • Enhancing cross-border coordination, crucial given the geographic positioning of the participating countries; • Improving legal and procedural frameworks to align with EU HNSG standards; • Building operational readiness through capacity-building activities, joint exercises, and the integration of lessons learned. The project also contributes to the implementation of Union Disaster Resilience Goal No. 5: “Secure – Ensuring a robust civil protection system”, by reinforcing the role of SEE countries as interoperable, reliable partners in the UCPM network.