Rasi: Crucial to Prepare for Crises in Advance, Prevention Cheaper

Bratislava, 22 September (TASR) - It is crucial to prepare for crises in advance because prevention is always cheaper than dealing with the consequences, said Parliamentary Chair Richard Rasi (Voice-SD) at a round-table meeting on Monday dedicated to new crisis management and civil protection. Rasi stated that prevention is the best investment in public safety, noting that this should ensure that mistakes aren't repeated. "For a long time, crisis management and civil protection have remained somewhat on the sidelines. However, every natural disaster, every emergency shows how important it is to pay attention to prevention, how important it is to have clear management," said Rasi, adding that the speed of aid isn't just a race against time, but a time when forces and resources need to be deployed quickly, clearly and efficiently in order to protect people and property. The House chair pointed to the current setting of legislation, naming many problems that need to be addressed. He stressed that the new crisis management system should prevent the type of mistakes that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic or when dealing with the humanitarian crisis following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine. According to him, the need for system readiness was also demonstrated, for example, by the earthquake in eastern Slovakia and the occurrence of foot and mouth disease. Interior Ministry State Secretary and Government Proxy for Local Government Michal Kalinak expressed appreciation for the fact that the concept of changes was accepted by all participants. "The prepared changes reflect bigger or smaller mistakes, shortcomings, everything that we have to change for the sake of protecting health and property. These changes also reflect decades of general stagnation in the field of crisis management and civil protection," pointed out Kalinak. The round-table meeting was organised by the Interior Ministry in cooperation with the Parliamentary Institute. The concept of legislative and non-legislative changes was presented to experts from the state, local authorities, academia and the private sector. They are expected to be more effective in the areas of prevention, remediation, cross-border cooperation and cooperation between the state, municipalities and public. am/df