Agreement between the Government of Romania and the Government of the Republic of Bulgaria regarding cooperation in the field of emergency situations.

The contracting parties, to the purpose of this Agreement, will encourage the development of cooperation in the field of prevention, preparation and response in case of major emergencies, natural and technological disasters and fires on a reciprocal basis in accordance with the provisions of this Agreement, as well as in line with the national legislation of the contracting parties. Disaster shall be intended an event or a sequence of events caused by natural phenomena or human activities, which occur in a certain area or settlement and which seriously affect or threaten life, public health, property or the environment and which require extraordinary measures to limit and eliminate its effects. Emergency situation shall be intended any situation that has or could have adverse effects on people, the environment or property and requires urgent measures and actions. For the implementation of this Agreement, the contracting parties will constitute a Romanian-Bulgarian joint commission on cooperation in the field of emergency situations. The main tasks of the joint commission will be: (a) to establish, plan and coordinate joint activities that take place within the framework of this Agreement, to supervise and monitor the implementation of its provisions and also to submit proposals to the competent authorities on the optimization and future development of cooperation in a certain field. The competent authorities of the contracting parties, in accordance with national legislation and their own competences, will cooperate in the following areas: (a) exchange of experience and best practices in the development of research activities and applied sciences, testing of products and expertise in the field of fire safety and civil protection; (b) exchange of information on the sources of risk that can generate disasters, especially those with cross-border effects, which affect the territory of the state of the other contracting party; (c) exchange of information on measures to minimize the vulnerabilities of critical infrastructure, with the aim of strengthening the efficiency of its protection; (d) organizing joint actions to ensure the interoperability of communication and information systems and those of early warning and alert; (e) organizing conferences, study visits, scientific programs, relevant courses, exchanges of experience, joint training, exercises and practical activities through cooperation with the authorities competent authorities and the relevant institutions of the states of the contracting parties; (f) encouraging scientific research, modelling, development of scenarios and demonstration projects, planning, development and participation in joint projects; (g) organizing and conducting events aimed at increasing the level of awareness for the population in case of major risk and in case of emergencies generated by natural or technological causes; and (h) other forms of cooperation within the Civil Protection Mechanism of the European Union.