The CREWS project—Enhancing Capacities in Disaster Risk Reduction by Facilitating Public-Civil Cooperation—has officially launched with a successful kick-off meeting in Hamburg-Altona on 27–28 March 2025. This new large project aims to strengthen disaster risk reduction in the region by promoting closer collaboration between formal authorities and civil society actors.
Led by the District Office of Altona (Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg) and funded by the EU’s Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme, CREWS will run from March 2025 to February 2028. It is aligned with and supports the goals of PA Secure, focused on building regional resilience and promoting a culture of societal security.
“Preparedness is a shared responsibility,” said Vineta Polatside, Senior Adviser at the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) , who oversees the project on its behalf. “With CREWS, we’re building bridges between authorities and communities to ensure no one stands alone in a crisis.”
CREWS promotes a whole-of-society approach to crisis management—recognising the vital role of communities, volunteers, and non-governmental actors in times of crisis. The project will develop two key tools:
- A collaborative cooperation model that facilitates public-civil partnerships in disaster preparedness and response.
- A digital platform to support coordination between formal institutions and informal actors, adaptable to different regional needs and crisis types, including extreme weather and military emergencies.
With a strong partnership of 14 institutions from 8 countries—including national rescue services, universities, municipalities, and volunteer organizations—CREWS represents a powerful step toward strengthening regional readiness and resilience.
🔗 Official project website: https://interreg-baltic.eu/project/crews
