The 22nd training season for deployable EU civil protection experts is off to a strong start. In our interview, Project Leader Achim Octavian POPA and Deputy Project Leader Claus HOELLEIN explain what matters most this cycle.
As of October 2026, we have already completed about a third of all 29 courses of the present training cycle. How did we manage so far and what is new?
Achim POPA: The main shift is not new content for individual courses, but maintaining the high standard achieved in the previous cycle across our consortium of 18 European partner organisations. We continuously adapt content and methods to fast-changing operational environments. New initiatives include stronger cross-sectoral coordination, more realistic and politically complex simulations, and a closer link between field lessons and curriculum updates.
Claus HOELLEIN: We train highly specialized personnel with impressive depth of experience. To close remaining know-how gaps, we introduced an objective, evidence-based feedback system with clear performance criteria. Developed by Analisa Creta and Shaun Moore, it was first used at the UMI course in Bucharest in July 2026. It partly automates assessments and reduces reliance on subjective opinions, enabling more consistent recommendations for participants’ development.
Achim POPA: All courses start with an online asynchronous self-learning phase. These asynchronous training modules were reworked, first for UMI and TLC. This better prepares participants for the synchronous online and in-person phases and raises overall course quality.
What are the biggest know-how gaps to address in the 22nd training cycle?
Claus HOELLEIN: Participants are technically and operationally well prepared, but soft skills under stress remain a challenge: active listening, conflict resolution in multicultural teams, and self-regulation in high-pressure settings. There is also often limited clarity on mandates, coordination mechanisms, and the roles of international actors. Negotiation and diplomatic skills—particularly with local authorities, military actors, and political stakeholders—need further strengthening. Media handling and strategic communication are further areas we will address through targeted exercises, peer feedback, and realistic, time-pressured scenarios.
Let’s double-click on the new participants’ performance assessment & evaluation process. How will it improve our courses?
Achim POPA: The new process makes feedback more transparent, consistent, and development-oriented. Instead of focusing mainly on final outcomes, it defines clear competencies and behavioural indicators and provides structured feedback at several points during the course. Participants better understand their strengths and development needs, while we gain data on learning progress and course effectiveness to adjust content, methods, and support.
How can mission experience of trainers & lecturers be incorporated more quickly and more effectively into our courses?
Claus HOELLEIN: We use structured debriefs and short lessons-learned inputs from recently deployed trainers, for example from the earthquake response in Venezuela. These are translated into scenario elements, decision points, or discussion topics that can be integrated into existing modules without a full curriculum overhaul.
Achim POPA: A standardised format captures what worked, what did not, why, and what it means in practice. This turns field experience into systematic training input rather than anecdotes. Peer-to-peer sharing also helps recent deployers brief trainers and participants, so lessons circulate quickly across the teaching community.
Information management—from new software and AI tools to stakeholder communication—is becoming more important. How do you address this?
Claus HOELLEIN: Information management is now a core competency. We address it technically, analytically, and communicatively. Participants learn about operational tools and emerging AI-supported solutions for data collection, analysis, and situational awareness - not to become IT specialists, but to understand their potential and limits in decision-making.
Achim POPA: Analytically, we focus on filtering, validating, and synthesising information for different stakeholders, including host authorities, cluster leads, donors, and the public. Communicatively, participants practise translating complex information into clear, accurate messages while respecting operational security and ethical standards.
Do you consider the consortium well-positioned to develop the UCPM Deployable Training Programme further?
Achim POPA: Yes, I do. The consortium combines operational experience, training expertise, and a shared commitment to the UCPM’s mission. Our teams have shown they can deliver complex, multi-format courses under tight timelines and in diverse contexts. But we must remain agile in curriculum development, systematic in capturing lessons learned, and intentional in building a strong community of practice among trainers, lecturers, and alumni. If we continue to invest in our people, methods, and networks, I am confident we can shape the UCPM Deployable Training Programme into a reference point for crisis-management training in Europe and beyond.
What challenges should we have on our radar?
Achim POPA: The growing overlap between natural disasters, conflict, and political crises will require more sophisticated scenarios and a broader range of stakeholders. Rapid technological change - especially AI, data analytics, and digital communication - also demands continuous updates without losing sight of core leadership and humanitarian principles.
Claus HOELLEIN: We must also protect the well-being and resilience of participants, trainers, and staff exposed to high-stress environments. Sustainable leadership includes self-care and team care. Finally, training must remain accessible and relevant across the diverse national systems and organisational cultures within the UCPM, so the programme continues to strengthen the Union’s overall response capacity in a coherent and inclusive way.
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