Joint Cross Border Cooperation for Securing Societies Against Natural and Man Made Disasters

Due to differences in culture, legislation, and socio-economic environment, cross border cooperation is a tough challenge. Past cross border disasters showed clearly that civil protection is a field that can bring closer areas at both sides of the borders. Not only due to vital need to manage emergencies and use all available resources that exist in any of the two border sides. But most important, because civil protection activities can secure protection of natural resources and the environment and thus provide the basis for sustainable development through provision of a safe environment for entrepreneurship and investments (job creation).

J-CROSS main objective is to minimize risks from natural and man made disasters in the Regions of Western Macedonia and Pelagonia. Such approach includes the Joint Cross Border Action Plan for establishing long term cooperation and a series of interventions to tackle current risk problems.

In J-CROSS the major deliverables are the infrastructure works in Sakouleva river for both border sides to be done by Region of Western Macedonia and the Center of Development for Pelagonia Region, also scheduling to buy the specific vehicle for these infrastrucure works and the equipment to be bought by National Observatory of Athens for measuring landslides in both countries, together with Crisis Management Center. Regarding studies the Dams' Break Studies for both countries are important. Finally, the cross border exerise will require special operational equipment for execution.