EU representative calls for stronger cooperation with Taiwan in civil protection
Head of the European Economic and Trade Office in Taiwan Lutz Güllner called for stronger cooperation between the European Union and Taiwan to prepare civil society for natural and human-caused disasters. He spoke in Taipei at a seminar funded by the EU representation.
Resilience and preparedness
As the Taipei Times reports, Güllner said that resilience and preparedness are important for any society that may face natural or human-caused disasters, especially amid geopolitical uncertainty.
According to him, Europe has strengthened civil protection mechanisms in recent years, particularly against the backdrop of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the aggressor state. At the same time, he described Taiwan as one of the benchmarks in matters related to natural disasters and noted that the EU highly values a number of Taiwanese systems.
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Cooperation between communities and volunteers
Güllner said that the EU has experience in responding to disasters such as wildfires, as well as in developing civil protection mechanisms. In his view, cooperation should involve not only governments, but also civil society organizations, individuals and communities, in order to foster a culture of resilience.
The seminar was organized by the Taipei-based think tank Forward Alliance, which works in the areas of national security and civil defense. Representatives of Samaritan International, a European network of non-governmental non-profit organizations in the fields of social and emergency services, also took part in the event. Network representative Paul Wardenga said that the seminar would allow Taiwanese NGO volunteers and their European colleagues to exchange experience in volunteer management and training for civil protection.
