Today we hardly notice the European national borders. Just like the European citizen, nature also takes little notice of national borders. The wind blows micro-organisms and particulates to a neighboring country, borders cannot stop fires and infectious diseases can quickly develop into cross-border epidemics. Chemical substances or radioactive particles can also be spread unnoticed by the wind and thus cause damage to public health elsewhere. Since the spread of hazardous agents does not stop at national borders, EMRIC constantly pays attention to cooperation in this area.
In the event of incidents involving hazardous substances, it is very important that the public is warned as early as possible and that the necessary measures are taken. Cross-border cooperation is very important here. Agreements have therefore been made within EMRIC that in the event of incidents involving hazardous agents with noticeable effects in the neighboring country, the dispatch rooms will inform each other. Consider, for example, a large cloud of smoke that can be seen or smelled in a neighboring country. Arrangements have also been made so that reinforcements can be requested from the neighboring country, in order to protect both citizens and environment as quickly as possible. Lastly, there is also Euregional coordination on the measurement of concentrations of hazardous substances.