INTERNATIONAL FULL SCALE EXERCISE EU MOLDEX 2017 TO BE HELD IN MOLDOVA

International full scale disaster-relief exercise EU MOLDEX 2017 will take place in Moldova in September.

According to the EU Delegation to Moldova, within the preparation for the exercise, a Planning Conference brought together exercise experts from the PPRD East 2 Partner Countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova, Ukraine) and three EU member states (Czech Republic, Denmark, and Romania) on Thursday in Chisinau.

They took note of the details of each team participating in the exercise, and agreed on the basic scenario: an earthquake causing the collapse of buildings near Chisinau and the breach of a dam resulting in flooding. Also, a simultaneous traffic accident will cause the release of hazardous materials.

The objective of the EU MOLDEX 2017 exercise is to observe and improve the capacity of rescue teams from many nations working together to save lives and limit the damage caused by a large-scale disaster.

The EU-funded Program on Prevention, Preparedness and Response to Natural and Man-made Disasters (PPRD East 2) is to contribute to the peace, stability, security and prosperity of the Eastern Partner Countries. It is also aimed to protect the environment, population, cultural heritage, resources and infrastructures of the region by strengthening the countries’ resilience, preparedness and response to man-made disasters and disasters caused by natural hazards.

The PPRD East 2 Program facilitates the strengthening of disaster risk management capacities at the national level in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, strengthens regional cooperation among the Partner Countries, and brings Partner Countries progressively closer to the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The Program will last for 4 years with a budget of 5.5 million.