Linking the actors and policies throughout the disaster management cycle by "Agreement on Objectives" – a new output-oriented management approach

Current management of disaster risks is often fragmented due to a lack of coordination between involved actors, i.e. civil protection and spatial planning - a phe- nomenon which is known as the "problem of interplay". This paper presents an output-oriented risk management ap- proach ("parametric governance"). Here, the modality of the achievement of objectives remains in the hands of the given addressees. This implies a shift from a top-down to a more collaborative, process-oriented form of decision- making. The approach has been successfully applied in two hazard cases and three administrative contexts: (a) the City of Dortmund (Germany) facing flash floods, (b) East At- tica region (Greece) facing forest fires, and (c) Lazio Region (Italy) also facing forest fires. As proved by the applica- tions of the concept, a dialogue among experts, stakehold- ers, and decision-makers is indispensable in order to guaran- tee inclusion of all diverse and competing values, opinions, and claims. Moreover, a structured communication path is needed to meet the requirements of a risk governance pro- cess. Finally, a win-win-situation among the involved actors has to be created to reach an agreement on common goals and actions to achieve them in due time.