Traditional civil protection frameworks, while highly effective in their original scope, were not designed to address the multidimensional nature of today’s threats. To bridge the gap between traditional civil protection and the today’s new threat landscape, there have been calls for a more coordinated, anticipatory and cross-sectoral approach to crisis management.
In some Member States, this change in response has already taken place: their focus has shifted from a natural hazards-focused approach to an all-hazards approach, integrating health, security and hybrid risks into preparedness systems. Given this reality, this high-level plenary session will examine how Member Sates’ experiences and lessons learned can influence the development of future EU cross-sectoral and cross-border crisis management and why it is crucial to think about this shift now.
During the high-level plenary, panellists will discuss how the EU can further support Member States’ operational planning. This includes providing situational awareness and anticipatory analysis of possible spillover effects, and facilitating structured information-sharing, while respecting mandates and competences.
Challenges such as the risk of stretching operational capacity while expanding strategic functions, and the need to respect national competences while strengthening coordination at EU level will also be discussed. This will include experiences from civil protection authorities in Member States.
The panel will explore ways to support a more resilient and coordinated European crisis management system through a discussion between representatives of the European Commission, national governments, and the European Parliament.
How can research and innovation strengthen civil protection preparedness by linking multi hazard forecasting and impact-based situational awareness with decision support, warning communication and response? Civil protection authorities, risk management organisations and European research projects are brought together to explore how forecasting, Earth observation, high resolution modelling, AI, exposure and vulnerability data, and scenario driven Digital Twins can provide timely operational intelligence.
The panel will also discuss the warning chain as a nationally sovereign responsibility, supported by coordinated European mechanisms, and how interoperable, user-oriented systems can support coordinated decisions, trusted warnings and effective response. It will consider how co-development, standards, governance, training and accessibility can help embed proven solutions in practice. The aim is to identify pathways for moving innovation from research into institutional use.
In a rapidly evolving climate, local civil protection authorities are increasingly responsible for managing sudden-onset events. Civil protection plans, which guide decision-making, information management and response, therefore need to adapt in both format and technological tools.
During critical events, timely and effective information is essential. This information must be prepared in advance and clearly linked to the emergency plan, with well-defined trigger conditions. Monitoring and communication procedures should therefore be carefully developed and formalised.
The panel will explore key elements for effective civil protection plans, focusing on monitoring, alert and response systems. It will draw on lessons learned from major EU flood events between 2023 and 2026, as well as perspectives from experiences outside the EU, combining real cases with what-if scenarios.
Advances in unmanned vehicles, AI, autonomous navigation, hazard detection and 3D mapping are transforming crisis management by enhancing situational awareness. However, civil protection agencies are often struggling to integrate these technologies into routine operations. A key challenge is the growing number of solutions and their limited interoperability with each other and legacy systems. Strengthening technical, procedural and organisational alignment across Europe is essential for effective deployment. During this session, first responders, researchers and technology developers will discuss how to:
- accelerate the transition from innovation to operations,
- improve interoperability between robotic systems and command structures,
- address training needs,
- refine regulatory frameworks,
- and share lessons learned across organisations and countries.
The session aims to identify priority actions for EU-level interoperability, recommendations for training frameworks and requirements for scaling pilots to operations.
Recent disasters show that young people are not bystanders, but often first responders, partners, and advocates within their communities. The Ukraine refugee response illustrated this, with youth networks, including Scout associations, supporting frontline service delivery, countering misinformation, and strengthening community cohesion.
Organised by UNICEF and the Alpine Region Youth Council to bridge operational experience with policy, this session explores how youth engagement can be institutionalised within national protocols, coordination mechanisms, and civil protection strategies, including budget allocations. Drawing on past emergencies and the Call to Action from the 2024 Europe and Central Asia Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, it brings governments, youth organisations, and international partners into dialogue. Audience members will take part in facilitated group discussions, generating policy recommendations for follow-up action by Member States.
The workshop will showcase how five complementary European projects are strengthening Host Nation Support (HNS) across different national and cross-border contexts. Participants will discover innovative approaches to developing national HNS systems, enhancing cross-border cooperation, improving interoperability, strengthening governance and coordination mechanisms, and increasing operational readiness for receiving and managing international assistance. The session will also present practical tools and solutions developed by the projects, including procedures, liaison functions, training curricula, manuals and exercises. Through short project presentations and interactive discussions, participants will gain practical insights and exchange experiences on implementing the revised EU Host Nation Support Guidelines 2024 across Europe.
The session will start with briefly introducing the work on inclusion under the Preparedness Union Strategy (guidelines) and upcoming training opportunities. It will then explore the role of persons with disabilities as active participants in civil protection, highlighting how inclusive approaches strengthen preparedness and emergency response.
Through an exchange of good practices and lessons learned from across Europe, participants will examine how successful approaches can be adapted and transferred between countries, with a particular focus on strengthening collaboration between the civil protection and disaster risk reduction (CP/DRR) and disability sectors.
This session is designed for first responders, civil protection practitioners and policymakers who want practical insights into how disability inclusion improves emergency outcomes, strengthens community resilience and ultimately saves lives.
This session, co-organised by DG ECHO and DG HERA, will examine how Europe can strengthen preparedness and response to health emergencies through effective access to medical countermeasures (MCMs). The discussion will follow the continuum from preparedness to response, including the identification and prioritisation of health threats, national and EU stockpiling strategies, and the role of the rescEU Medical Stockpile as a European safety net. The panel will explore how MCMs can be rapidly mobilised, deployed and delivered during crises, drawing on recent UCPM operations and health emergencies. The session will also address rapid access to additional MCMs through manufacturers, scaling up production and supply, and the regulatory challenges that can affect the availability and deployment of MCMs during emergencies. The discussion will bring together perspectives from MS, Ukraine, EU institutions, industry and regulators, focusing on lessons learned, remaining gaps and priorities.
The workshop takes as its starting point the Joint Research Centre’s (JRC) foresight study Strengthening European Union's Future Disaster Resilience and looks ahead to the work now beginning to identify the capabilities that the EU will need over the long term. This work comes at a decisive moment, as preparations for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) programming period get under way and research and innovation (R&I) priorities are being shaped. Participants are invited to shape the discussion directly: how should the EU set long-term capability targets so that investment can focus on innovative solutions that will genuinely deliver them?
Following a short introduction by the JRC and a panel exchange on the innovation perspective, participants will work in facilitated table discussions. The conclusions will feed into the forthcoming JRC report on long-term capability needs.
Do general rules and instructions prepared for peace-time circumstances function during disruption or even war time? The workshop focuses on citizens’ own awareness, knowledge and preparedness in a continuously tense geopolitical environment. Participants will reflect on their understanding of a prepared citizen in times of escalation and war, and when moving to a new normal and recovery. The workshop will explore how, despite the level of disturbance, every-day life goes on, and how people cope? How and from which sources do we create our understanding of the situation? Who do we trust? How do we strengthen our own resilience so that we can remain flexible and prepared, even in war time? What do we need, where do we actively get what we need without burdening public services? What do we need to overcome and from whom we get it? How do authorities and organisations support the people to stay resilient? Future project initiatives will build on the discussion’s outcomes and recognised gaps and needs.
