The Emergency Response (ER) Working Group seeks to foster an EU Policy framework that supports resilient, ubiquitous and integrated communication platforms that serve emergency services and relevant public authorities in disaster situations.
    
Members of EURespond recognize:

• that the communication systems in Europe that support Public Protection and Disaster Recovery (PPDR) services are subject to breakdown and collapse in emergency circumstances;
• that there is a core public interest in ensuring that emergency response systems are underpinned by robust and reliable communications;
• that the systems and services that support emergency response are a public policy priority and that any relevant European policy developments should reflect this priority accordingly;
• that the systems put in place should have a pan-European capability and compatibility; and,
• that robust emergency communications platforms can also support wider policy objectives including notably the provision of rural broadband coverage as a means of combating the digital divide.

In light of this mission, the ER Working Group is currently providing input into the EU Consultation on the Selection and Authorisation of Systems providing Mobile Satellite Services (MSS).

In its response to this consultation, the ER Working Group will notably point out that the use of the 2GHz (S-band) spectrum for 2-way communications is central to ensuring that emergency response communications are “disaster resilient” even when communications infrastructure may be compromised, which implies the use of a satellite system integrated with a complementary ground component.