HARMONY: Harmonised Protocols for Transnational Environmental Impact Assessment & Emergency Management

Objective

The HARMONY project aims to advance excellence in standardization by developing harmonized protocols for comprehensive disaster risk management, encompassing Prevention/Mitigation, Preparedness, Response, and Recovery. Its core vision is to create a unified framework that transcends the current siloed approaches, enabling an integrated and coordinated assessment of impacts, risks, and interactions of climate-related and geological hazards across sectors and borders. By leveraging cutting-edge technologies and fostering collaboration among scientists, emergency responders, and policymakers among others, HARMONY seeks to enhance early warning systems, optimize response mechanisms, and support recovery strategies. This will contribute to building a climate-resilient society, capable of addressing the increasing intensity and frequency of disasters while minimizing their socio-economic impacts. By focusing on transnational collaboration, the project integrates novel technologies such as Earth observation, AI-driven predictive models, and GIS-based decision support systems. Large-scale pilot tests will be conducted in Spain-Portugal, Kosovo-North Macedonia, and Bulgaria-Greece, targeting climate-related and geological disasters including wildfires and floods. In addition, the project will build on a cohesive capacity building programme and replication guidelines to support scaling up of the proposed systemic approach across different areas in Europe.