From Early Warning to Early Action? : The Debate on the Enhancement of the EU's Crisis Response Capability Continues

Divided into six sections, the book is a collection of texts written by experts from European Union institutions, European think-tanks and universities, as well as high-ranking officials from the European Union military staff and experts from non-governmental organisations. The texts are accompanied by beautiful pictures by professional photojournalists. Over the last two years the European Union has taken a range of steps to enhance the way it deals with international crises and natural disasters. EU financial resources for crisis response have increased more than four-fold since 2006. These resources are being used in closer cooperation and partnership with European Union Member States, NGOs and the think tank community in Europe and beyond. New ways of acting faster on the basis of early warning have been drawn up. This new book is a collection of writing illustrating the progress made in these areas against the background of discussion and input from policy experts and practitioners in the field. It builds on the range of views aired at the Commission's conference 'From Early Warning to Early action', held in November 2007, involving more than 900 diplomats, officers, practitioners, scholars and advocates, representing all facets of the network of European crisis responders. The book - one of the few comprehensive examinations of crisis response and preparedness in action - is divided into four main parts: partnership-building, mediation and peace-keeping, natural resource wars, and trans-regional threats, early-warning and intelligence. It is a follow-up to "Faster and more united?", an overview of discussion on the EU's crisis response capacity published in 2006.