Croatia to host EU's stockpile of strategic reserves

The European Commission said on Monday that Croatia was one of four EU member states which will host strategic reserves of material and equipment in the event of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats - also known as CBRN.

The European Commission announced they were building strategic reserves of 'response capacities' - through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority - in order to improve EU preparedness and response to specific threats.

According to the commission, Croatia, France, Poland and Finland will host the stockpiles worth in nearly 550 million euros.

The reserves will include antidotes, antibiotics, vaccines, sedatives, and prophylactic treatments and specific CBRN response equipment, such as detectors and decontamination supplies and personal protective equipment such as gas masks and protection suits.

The establishment of the four stockpiles represent a cross-sectoral cooperation between the EU's health and civil protection authorities, and once established, member states will be able to request the mobilisation of relevant stock via the Emergency Response Coordination Centre.

People may be exposed to CBRN agents as a result of unintentional disasters such as a chemical plant leak, nuclear power plant incidents, and the spread of an infectious disease, or intentional incidents such as a terrorist attack.