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1. In order to promote an effective and coherent approach to the prevention of and preparedness for disasters by sharing non- sensitive information, namely information disclosure of which would not be contrary to the essential interests of Member States' security, and to promote the exchange of best practices within the Union Mechanism, Member States shall:

(a) further develop risk assessments at national or appropriate sub-national level;

(b) further develop the assessment of risk management capability at national or appropriate sub-national level;

(c) further develop and refine disaster risk management planning at national or the appropriate subnational level, including as regards cross-border collaboration, taking into account the Union disaster resilience goals referred to in paragraph 5, when established, and the risks related to disasters which cause or are capable of causing multi-country transboundary effects;

(d) make available to the Commission a summary of the relevant elements of the assessments referred to in points (a) and (b), focusing on key risks. For key risks having cross-border impacts and risks related to disasters which cause or are capable of causing multi-country transboundary effects, as well as, where appropriate, for low probability risks with a high impact, Member States shall describe priority prevention and preparedness measures. The summary shall be provided to the Commission by 31 December 2020 and every three years thereafter, as well as whenever there are important changes;

(e) participate, on a voluntary basis, in peer reviews on the assessment of risk management capability;

(f) in line with international commitments, improve the collection of disaster loss data at national or the appropriate sub-national level to ensure evidence-based scenario building as referred to in Article 10(1) and the identification of gaps in disaster response capacities.

2. The Commission, in cooperation with Member States, may also establish specific consultation mechanisms to enhance appropriate prevention and preparedness planning and coordination among Member States that are prone to similar types of disasters, including for cross-border risks and low probability risks with a high impact identified under point (d) of paragraph 1.

3. The Commission shall further develop, together with the Member States, by 22 December 2019, guidelines on the submission of the summary referred to in point (d) of paragraph 1.

4. Where a Member State frequently requests the same type of assistance through the Union Mechanism for the same type of disaster, the Commission, following a careful analysis of the reasons and circumstances of the activation, and with the aim of supporting the Member State concerned to strengthen its level of prevention and preparedness, may:

(a) request that Member State to provide additional information on specific prevention and preparedness measures related to the risk corresponding to that type of disaster; and (b) where appropriate, based on the information provided:

(i) propose the deployment of an expert team on site to provide advice on prevention and preparedness measures; or (ii) make recommendations to strengthen the level of prevention and preparedness in the Member State concerned. The Commission and that Member State shall keep each other informed about any measures taken following such recommendations.

In the event that a Member State requests the same type of assistance through the Union Mechanism for the same type of disaster three times within three consecutive years, points (a) and (b) shall apply unless a careful analysis of the reasons for and circumstances of the frequent activations demonstrate that it is not necessary.

5. The Commission, in cooperation with Member States, shall establish and develop Union disaster resilience goals in the area of civil protection, and adopt recommendations to define them as a non-binding common baseline to support prevention and preparedness actions in the event of disasters which cause or are capable of causing multi-country transboundary effects. Those goals shall be based on current and forward-looking scenarios, including the impacts of climate change on disaster risks, data on past events and cross-sectoral impact analysis, with particular attention given to vulnerable groups. When developing Union disaster resilience goals, the Commission shall take into account recurrent disasters that hit Member States and suggest that Member States take specific measures, including any measures to be implemented with the use of Union funds, to strengthen resilience to such disasters.