A year in review: 2025 at the Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network

2025 was a demanding year for civil protection in Europe. Climate-related disasters continued to increase, while geopolitical and security challenges persisted. As a result, the Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) was activated 64 times this year.

Throughout the year, the Knowledge Network Platform reflected this work, covering policy developments, training activities, peer learning and innovation. Interest in the Platform continued to grow, with visitors up 18.4% compared to 2024. As in previous years, much of the content came directly from the community, sharing experiences and  lessons from across Member and Participating States.

What follows is a look back at some of the key moments and stories that shaped the Knowledge Network’s work in 2025. You can find the highlights on the news feed of the platform or between the covers of our quarterly newsletters.  

For the Knowledge Network, the Strategy provided both direction and momentum. Many activities covered on the Platform during the year — from population preparedness and risk communication to training, peer reviews and research uptake — directly contributed to turning this strategic framework into practical action. In May, our PUS edition of the Knowledge Network Newsletter looked at how the strategy was being received by the civil protection community.

Young voices shaping preparedness

Youth engagement took centre stage in 2025. In February, 23 young leaders from across Europe gathered in Brussels for a Youth Policy Dialogue on Preparedness, sharing perspectives directly with Commissioner Hadja Lahbib.

The dialogue highlighted young people’s role not only as future professionals in the field of civil protection, but as active contributors to disaster risk reduction, risk awareness and community resilience — a theme that resonated across several stories published during the year. You can hear from some of the young people that took part here.

These discussions helped connect research, EU-level tools and national needs, reinforcing the Knowledge Network’s role as a bridge between innovation and practice. The December event marked an important milestone with the launch of two key documents: the Rapid Evidence Review on Artificial Intelligence in Emergency and Crisis Management under the Scientific Advice Mechanism, and the European Commission’s contribution to the Global Initiative, outlining priorities and gaps for AI in disaster risk management.

Connecting science, policy and practice

The Evidence for Policy in Disaster Risk Management Summer School continued to strengthen links between science, policy and operations. The fourth edition, held in Barcelona in September, brought together participants from across Europe to explore how evidence can better inform decision-making in civil protection.

This focus was reinforced in November at the EU Science for Preparedness Conference in Turin, jointly organised by the Joint Research Centre, DG DEFIS and DG ECHO. The conference brought together researchers, policymakers and practitioners to discuss how scientific knowledge, and innovation can be translated into operational tools, with particular attention to capacity building, user uptake and the role of civil protection authorities in shaping solutions.

Alongside this, the Knowledge Series gained further traction in 2025, offering accessible entry points for practitioners and researchers to exchange experience on topics such as AI, youth preparedness and nature-based solutions.

Strengthening the EU Civil Protection Mechanism

In July the Commission proposed to update the Regulation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), integrating financing for health emergency preparedness and response, in order to ensure a comprehensive and integrated EU response to crises. The new Regulation—part of the package for the future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), which will run from 2028 to 2034— proposes to allocate around EUR 11 billion in common funding for civil protection and health emergency preparedness threats. It also introduces an enhanced civil protection framework to improve coordination across various sectors, including strengthened civil-military cooperation.

Throughout the summer and autumn, the Knowledge Network followed developments closely through a special newsletter dossier on wildfires, bringing together facts, operational perspectives from liaison officers, analytical insights from fire experts, and features on European solidarity, innovation and long-term wildfire risk management. 

Learning from each other: peer reviews and exercises

Peer learning remained a cornerstone of the Knowledge Network. In July the report on the wildfire-focused peer review in Land Brandenburg, Germany (November 2024) was handed over to the Brandenburg authorities by Director General for DG ECHO Maciej Popowski during a workshop held in Potsdam.  The new Peer Review cycle kicked off in January 2025, and offers the possibility of carrying out up to six peer reviews. Two reviews are already organised in Kosovo* and Czechia.

Training and exercises also continued at pace, with EU MODEX and one full-scale exercise taking place across Europe, reinforcing preparedness, interoperability and coordination among civil protection teams. A new series of Training the Trainers courses for lecturers, facilitators and trainers also kicked off.

* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.