The Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) awarded EU-project to provide temporary emergency shelters during crises
Sweden, through MSB, has been awarded a long-term project by the EU to be able contribute with temporary emergency shelter for roughly 1,000 people in the event of crises and disasters. The project runs for just over three and a half years, until September 2026, and has a budget of 25.2 million euros, most of which is financed by the EU.
Within the EU's civil protection mechanism, there must be preparedness for temporary emergency shelters in the event of a crisis. The assignment MSB has been granted is a long-term assignment to develop a resource intended for all kinds of crises and disasters, man-made or environmental, which may affect EU member states or participating states as well as third countries.
- MSB is a suitable actor to provide this type of capacity. We have a high-quality approach, we take aspects related to adaptation to crisis situations, vulnerable groups and the environment into account and we have previous experience of similar kinds of development projects. By being responsible for the development of the capacity, MSB and Sweden can contribute to increasing the collective EU crisis management capability while at the same time increasing our own capability and preparedness nationally, states Nils Vaernholt, Head of National and Civil Protection Operations Section at MSB.
The project focuses on providing temporary emergency shelter and, for example, beds, sheets, lighting, heating and more, as well as sanitary solutions with toilets and showers. The resource must be flexible and adaptable to different environments and climatic conditions, and should be possible to deploy quickly to disaster areas to assist the affected population with temporary protection under safe and dignified conditions. It must also be partially adapted to people with disabilities and must be able to meet their needs in a crisis.
RescEU – safety net in Europe
The project is within the framework of rescEU, which is an extra safety net within the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. RescEU consists of joint EU resources that can be deployed in different types of crisis or disaster, to support countries that themselves lack the relevant capacity or if their own national resources are exhausted.
Facts RescEU Shelters SE
The project's budget: approx. EUR 25.2 million, the majority financed by European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO).
Duration of the project: January 2023 - September 2026.
Number of field staff during operation: approx. 15 persons.
Tasks for the field staff: establish and deploy the resource in collaboration with local actors/humanitarian organisations. The local stakeholders then take over the mission after establishment.