Situation requiring the setting-up of a crisis unit
1. In the situations described in paragraph 2, the Commission shall set up a crisis unit in accordance with Article 56 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 (‘the crisis unit’)
2. The setting up of a crisis unit is required where:
(a)
a direct or indirect public health risk has been identified in two or more Member States which results in a high reputational, perceptional or political sensitivity;
and
(b)
there is
(i)
a serious risk to human health, notably in cases where a high number of fatalities occur or might be expected;
or
(ii)
a repetition of incidents leading to a serious risk to human health;
or
(iii)
a suspicion or indication of biological or chemical terrorism or important radioactive contamination.
Role of the crisis unit
1. The crisis unit shall be responsible for rapidly developing, coordinating and implementing a crisis response strategy, including its communication aspects. Once the source of contamination is identified, the crisis unit, with the assistance of EFSA and other experts where needed, shall coordinate the traceability investigation (back and forwards), as well as closely follow-up the withdrawal and recall of the products if the affected food/feed has been distributed among several Member States.
2. Each Member State involved shall be responsible for the implementation of the traceability investigations, withdrawals and recalls on its territory.
Practical procedures for the crisis unit
1. In order to carry out the tasks laid down in Article 57 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 and further detailed in Articles 8 to 10 of this Decision, the procedures provided for in Chapter V of this Decision shall apply accordingly.
2. The members of the crisis unit shall be continuously available during the crisis.
Composition and operation of the crisis unit
1. The crisis unit shall be composed of the members of the network of crisis coordinators (or their alternates) from the Commission, the EFSA, at least from the Member States directly concerned and, if required, specialised representatives of the Commission, EFSA, ECDC and, when relevant, other Union agencies and the Member State(s) directly concerned. Communication specialists of the relevant bodies at national and Union level shall also be part of the crisis unit.
2. The crisis unit may also consider consulting other experts or the whole network of crisis coordinators, if necessary for the management of the crisis, and may request permanent or ad hoc assistance from specific experts.
3. The Commission's crisis coordinator (or his/her alternate) shall chair the crisis unit. He/she shall ensure the smooth operation of the crisis unit and the distribution of tasks amongst members, taking into account their competence. As soon as the crisis unit is set up, the Chair shall invite members of the crisis coordinators' network for a first meeting.
4. The Chair shall ensure coordination between the work of the crisis unit and the decision-making process. He/she shall be assisted by the appropriate technical expert(s) of the concerned technical unit(s) in the Commission.
5. Crisis coordinators from affected Member States shall ensure participation in the meetings, audio- and video-conferences of the crisis unit in terms of availability, expertise and level of responsibility. EFSA, ECDC and the concerned EURL shall provide scientific and technical assistance within their competence as necessary.
6. The crisis unit shall be responsible for maintaining close contact and information sharing with the concerned stakeholders.
7. The crisis unit shall be responsible for the preparation of the coordinated communication strategy towards the public and in particular on setting evidence-based messages in real-time.
8. The Commission shall provide sufficient secretarial support for organising meetings of the crisis unit (e.g. drafting of minutes and other administrative needs) and make available to the crisis unit the human and material resources necessary for its smooth operation (e.g. meeting rooms, means of communication, etc.). The crisis unit shall use the technical arrangements in place for the existing alert networks to communicate or disseminate information, particularly to distribute requests for information and to collect this information.
Resolution of the crisis
The procedures laid down in Articles 14 and 15 shall remain in place until the crisis is resolved.
Following consultation with the crisis unit, the Commission shall decide whether the crisis is fully resolved or may be downgraded to an incident needing only an enhanced coordination at the Union level. If so decided, all members of the crisis unit shall be informed on the resolution.
In addition to information submitted through RASFF about affected products and measures taken, the Commission may ask Member States to provide information on new human cases to assess trends and decide on the resolution of the crisis.
Post-crisis assessment
A report shall be drawn up by the Commission at least after each situation requiring the setting up of a crisis unit, setting out a post-incident assessment, including a consultation with those involved and other relevant stakeholders.
In light of the assessment, a meeting of all crisis coordinators shall be held to identify potential lessons learned and where appropriate, highlight any necessary improvements required in relation to the operational procedures and tools used in crisis management.
Source: EUR-Lex (Publications Office of the EU), © European Union, reuse permitted under Commission Decision 2011/833/EU.
