Participation in NATO bodies in the field of civil emergency planning
In addition to the representatives of the Permanent Mission of the
Republic of Slovenia to NATO and the West European Union, the Republic
of Slovenia is represented in the Senior Civil Emergency Planning
Committee by two representatives from the Ministry of Defence (the
Director of the Administration of the Republic of Slovenia for
Protection and Disaster Relief and the Head of the Sector for Civil
Defence). Since the beginning of 2002, Committee meetings are held
every month in the format of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (46
countries: 19 member states and 27 partnership states). The
Partnership States have an important role in the Committee which they
have acquired on their own through their active approach, supported at
the same time by NATO policy in the Alliance's civil field of
operation, which seeks to be as open as possible towards Partnership
States. This form of cooperation has already yielded added value and
practical results in real situations.
Representatives of the Ministry of the Economy, the Ministry of
Health, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food, the Ministry
of Transport and the Ministry of Information Society actively
participate in the sub-committees and senior committee councils, in
addition to the representatives from the Ministry of Defence. A
Sub-group for Civil Emergency Planning was formed in April 2001,
within the framework of the Interdepartmental Working Group for the
Collaboration of the Republic of Slovenia with NATO, whose duty is to
ensure the harmonised operation of our national representatives within
the framework of NATO
Slovene representatives actively participate in committee seminars,
for example, the Civil Defence Committee (1998 - Communicating with
the media during disasters; 1999 - Informing, educating and training
inhabitants about protection against disasters; 2000 - Procedures for
providing and offering humanitarian aid; 2001 - The importance of
regional cooperation in protection against disasters).
In September 2002, Slovenia will host the 1st. NATO Medical
Symposium incorporating the 7th. NATO Blood Conference, organised by
the Joint Health Committee (http://www.gov.si/mz/dmm/). A seminar of the
Committee for Food and Agriculture is scheduled to be held in Slovenia
in 2004.
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