The European Union is confronted with increasingly severe natural disasters and new and more complex threats. Numerous emergencies in recent years have demonstrated the limitations of the structural elements and operational capabilities of the Union Mechanism for Civil Protection (UMOL). A challenge for EU civil protection, supported by the UMOL, is the rapid and efficient coordination of assistance in major emergencies, including multi-sectoral and cross-border crises involving several countries. Past experience with extreme weather events and the Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated the need to strengthen the UMOL through new capabilities and better management. Climate change, technological developments and hybrid threats are expected to increase the number of civil protection missions in the future. New challenges will require the implementation of new forms of civil protection operations in Europe and globally, which will determine changes in the legal and political framework of the UMOL.