The Council's Permanent Representatives Committee (Coreper) has instructed the Working Party on Civil Protection to examine the European Court of Auditors' (ECA) special report No 17/2026 on the rescEU reserve, and has approved ECA representatives attending the working party's meetings to present the report and answer questions. The decision, recorded in an 'I' item note dated 8 July 2026, follows the ECA's publication of the report on 25 June 2026, which evaluates the Union Civil Protection Mechanism's rescEU reserve as a valuable contribution to European civil protection, despite planning weaknesses that have hampered implementation and sustainability.
Under Council rules (document 7515/00 + COR 1), any special report from the ECA must be thoroughly examined by a designated working party. The Presidency considers it in the Council's interest for the Court to present its findings directly to the working party and for delegations to ask questions before discussion. Coreper's instruction tasks the Working Party on Civil Protection with examining the report, and the committee has invited delegations to approve the attendance of ECA representatives at forthcoming working party meetings to present the report and respond to queries.
The ECA report, published on 25 June 2026, assesses the rescEU reserve, a strategic stockpile of medical and protective equipment established under the Union Civil Protection Mechanism to respond to cross-border emergencies. The report acknowledges the reserve's valuable contribution to European civil protection but identifies planning weaknesses that have hampered implementation and sustainability. The examination by the working party will allow member states to scrutinise the findings and discuss potential improvements.
The move sets the stage for a detailed review of the rescEU reserve's performance, with implications for EU civil protection policy and national disaster response capabilities. The working party's discussions could lead to recommendations for strengthening the reserve's planning and sustainability, affecting EU institutions, national civil protection authorities, and the European Commission, which manages the mechanism. The ECA's participation ensures direct dialogue between auditors and member state experts.