CTIF at European Parliament: Strengthening Civil Protection: Operational Leadership in a Time of Crisis
Thank you for choosing Automatic Translation. Currently we are offering translations from English into French and German, with more translation languages to be added in the near future. Please be aware that these translations are generated by a third party AI software service. While we have found that the translations are mostly correct, they may not be perfect in every case. To ensure the information you read is correct, please refer to the original article in English. If you find an error in a translation which you would like to bring to our attention, it would help us greatly if you let us know. We can correct any text or section, once we are aware of it. Please do not hesitate to contact our webmaster to let us know of any translation errors.
On March 18, 2026, the International Association of Fire and Rescue Services (CTIF) participated in a high-level European Parliament panel on civil protection resilience, hosted by MEPs Pascal Arimont and Lena Dupont.
Vice-President Christophe Marchal, also Vice-President of the French Firefighters’ Federation, delivered a keynote intervention grounded in operational field experience.
Marchal emphasized that firefighters are not theoretical actors—they are the first on the ground in daily emergencies and remain present when local incidents escalate into national or European disasters. His message: Europe’s resilience begins with people, and firefighters are central to that reality.
Three Strategic Priorities for European Civil Protection
Marchal’s intervention outlined three urgent priorities:
1. Protect Volunteer Firefighters
- Europe relies on 3.5 million volunteer firefighters.
- Legal uncertainty from the EU Working Time Directive threatens volunteer engagement.
- CTIF calls for a clear, proportionate legal framework to safeguard civil protection volunteering.
"Europe must protect those who protect Europe." — Christophe Marchal
2. Fix Fragmented Coordination
- Crises cross borders; mutual assistance is essential.
- Operational silos and delayed situational awareness weaken response.
- CTIF urges better interconnection between national command systems and the ERCC.
3. Invest in Interoperability and Training
- Technology is vital, but interoperability is decisive.
- CTIF calls for harmonized operational telecoms and shared digital protocols.
- Marchal endorsed a "Firefighters Erasmus" program to build common safety foundations and shared operational references.
The panel, titled "European Resilience in the Face of Systemic Crises," focused on bridging operational needs and technological capabilities. Speakers addressed:
- The lack of shared situational awareness during fast-moving crises.
- The need for interoperable Command and Control systems.
- Civil-military coordination and secure data sharing.
- The role of European industry in developing dual-use technologies.
CTIF’s presentation reinforced the importance of practical, field-tested solutions. Marchal cited France’s NexSIS system as a model for integrated operational information and called for stronger European support for interoperable deployments.
CTIF’s message was clear: resilience is not just about structures—it is about people, trust, and the ability to act together. As Europe faces more frequent and complex emergencies, CTIF advocates a civil protection strategy that is:
- More interoperable
- More proportionate
- More useful in the field
"If we know that the next crisis will test us together, why would we prepare separately?" — Christophe Marchal
Supporting Materials
- CTIF presentation: "Europe’s Civil Protection Readiness — People. Interoperability. Trust."
- Panel briefing: European Parliament Intergroup on Resilience, Disaster Management and Civil Protection
- Speech transcript: Christophe Marchal, Vice-President of CTIF and FNSPF