The EPRC, which will be based at the Poggio Renatico (FE) Air Force base, is the result of a proposal by the European Air Group (EAG) to convey all the knowledge of the Personnel Recovery (PR) sector, both in doctrinal / conceptual field which, in the training and training context, on a single competence center, capitalizing on the "lessons learned" that emerged during the real operations carried out so far.
Furthermore, the EPRC will be able to support any real operation by promptly providing its specialized and trained personnel in the key roles of the command and control units that perform functions related to Personnel Recovery. The nations participating in the project are: Italy, France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Great Britain and Spain; the same 7 nations that adhere to the EAG treaty.
The center will be independent and governed by a Steering Committee composed of representatives of the participating nations; one of these, with a two-year rotation, will be the director of the center. In order to guarantee a rapid consolidation of the structure in Poggio Renatico, for the first term, the commander of the center will be identified among the personnel of the Air Force, while the representative within the Steering Committee is identified as the commander of the AOC (Air Operations Command) of Poggio Renatico).
The Personnel Recovery includes all the procedures aimed at allowing the recovery not only of the military and civilians involved in operations, but also of a wider range of operators: diplomats, journalists, NGO volunteers and personnel who, for various reasons, could be found in conditions of isolation in hostile territory, or potentially such, when a crisis occurs.
Source: General Office for Communication - Public Information Office - chap. Marco Bevilacqua
