TESTA helps the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in aid to countries in crisis

As the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus intensifies, crisis response coordination at European level is enhanced by civil protection cooperation and development of EU emergency response capacity ensured by the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC). TESTA allows real time exchange of information between the ERCC and the contact points of the Member States through the Common Emergency Communication and Information System (CECIS).



TESTA, a data communication network service supported by ISA², facilitates the real time exchange of information between the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) and the contact points of the Member States through the Common Emergency Communication and Information System (CECIS).



TESTA is the European backbone network for data exchange between a wide variety of public administrations. It provides guaranteed performance and a high level of security and interoperability. The network is used by EU institutions and agencies, as well as EU countries and organisations acting on their behalf.



The Emergency Response Coordination Centre is the heart of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and coordinates the delivery of assistance to disaster stricken countries and provides emergency communications and monitoring tools through CECIS, an established reliable common web-based alert and notification application. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism has recently been activated for:  

• Repatriation flights of EU citizens from Wuhan, China and from other locations affected by COVID-19.
• Providing assistance to China in terms of equipment and materials.
• Supporting Greece as it deals with increased numbers of refugees and migrants at its external borders. The EU Emergency Response Coordination Centre is coordinating the aid deliveries and will co-finance the costs to transport the assistance to Greece.

Through the Mechanism, the European Commission plays a key role in coordinating the response to disasters in Europe and beyond.