The escalating frequency of extreme climatic events and ongoing urbanization expose European communities to increasing disaster risks, which are determined not only by the hazardous events themselves, but also by the exposure and vulnerability to these hazards. Consequently, effective risk management strategies cannot overlook a comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing vulnerability of the communities. This paper addresses this need by presenting a European-wide framework for the development of a Vulnerability Index (VI) that evaluates vulnerability at both national and subnational scales. Adopting a multi-dimensional, multi-level approach, the VI captures socio-economic, environmental, and physical factors contributing to community resilience. A standardized, supranational methodology is employed, providing harmonized cross-country information and time series data for vulnerability and its underlying indicators. This comprehensive assessment facilitates the understanding of socio-economic dynamics, enabling the formulation of targeted policy actions at both country and subnational levels. By offering insights into current vulnerability trends, the VI underlines the importance of governance, economic factors, and disaster preparedness in reducing vulnerability at different administrative levels, while highlighting the role of social factors, such as poverty and social exclusion, in community vulnerability at sub-regional levels.

SIBILIA Andrea;  EKLUND Lars Gustav;  MARZI Sepehr;  VALLI Igor;  BOUNTZOUKLIS Christos;  ROESLIN Samuel;  RODOMONTI Davide;  SALARI Sandro;  ANTOFIE Tiberiu-Eugen;  CORBANE Christina; 

2024-10-22

ELSEVIER

JRC138760

2212-4209 (online),   

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221242092400647,    https://publications.jrc.ec.europa.eu/repository/handle/JRC138760,   

10.1016/j.ijdrr.2024.104885 (online),