The cooperation developed at European Union (EU) level in the field of disaster response has led to important results. Several tools have been implemented, which address to both the internal¹  and overseas²  emergencies (e.g. the Civil Protection Mechanism, the Humanitarian Aid, the Crisis Management Tool).  The Lisbon Treaty (2009) has opened up new opportunities in this domain, introducing into primary law a new ‘clause of solidarity’ (Article 222 TFEU) and specific EU competences in the areas of civil protection (Article 196 TFEU) and humanitarian assistance (Article 214 TFEU).³  As a result, in December 2013 a new Union Civil Protection Mechanism has been adopted, which should facilitate prevention of and preparedness for disasters, as well as the response to disasters and imminent disasters.⁴ 

The proposed paper will discuss the main interoperability and organisational issues and challenges emerging from the new Mechanism. Firstly, the analysis will be conducted at EU level, in order to assess the impact of the decision on the actual civil protection cooperation regime. Secondly, the focus will shift on the contribution of the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) to the capability of Australasia fire and emergencies agencies’ interoperability. In this respect, the paper will consider the concrete impact of the UCPM in light of the 2008 administrative arrangement on cooperation in civil protection concluded between the European Commission and the Attorney General’s Department—Emergency Management Australia, on the one hand.  On the other, the contribution of the UCPM to the debate on possible improvements of the interoperability and coordination tools available in the region will be discussed.