The Swedish Emergency Management Agency and the European Union: An Analysis of how SEMA could participate in EU-related work

Following the terrorist attacks in recent years, the EU has accelerated its activities in the field of prevention and management of major emergencies. The Swedish Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), the main coordinating actor in the Swedish emergency preparedness system, still has a limited role with regard to the EU. This report aims to analyze how this role could be developed. As a first step, policy areas in the EU relevant to SEMA are selected by comparing the agency´s national functions with EU-activities. The decision-making process of the selected policy areas are then studied in more detail, covering activities both nationally and at the EU-level. Finally, the appropriate extent of SEMA-involvment in those activities is determined. The basic criteria to determine this is the added-value that the agency´s involvement would bring to SEMA itself, the Swedish government or to the EU. The report concludes that there are several areas where the participation of SEMA is justified. Those areas are mainly cross-sector initiatives for enhanced prevention and management of major emergencies, but also some specific areas where SEMA has a corresponding national responsibility. It is furthermore important for SEMA to follow some EU-activities that mainly concern other Swedish agencies involved in emergency preparedness, to fulfil its supporting role.