During these last days before the winter break, the PA Secure team at the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) Secretariat presents the fourth issue of the Newsletter in 2018.
It was a very exciting and fruitful year for our team and a great start for the Latvian Chairmanship of the CBSS Civil Protection Network – the State Fire and Rescue Service of Latvia. We have seen how our mission – building long-lasting relationships and creating a common societal security culture in the region – is gradually becoming a reality in many areas. Besides advancing in our “core competency” – coordinating international cooperation on civil protection, we have succeeded in making a difference in other areas, such as the UN Sendai Framework implementation and law enforcement cooperation. During 2018 the long-awaited CASCADE project on urban environmental risk assessment received funding, confirming that our way of working – joint problem identification – getting a consortium of relevant actors together – aiming for a larger inclusive flagship project – works. Hopefully, this model will prove effective for two other projects in the pipeline – on research cooperation and CBRNE risk management. But most importantly we have seen new connections between people, organisations, networks and countries in our region, connections that have not existed before and this is priceless because these new relationships will help us make the region more resilient for any present and future threats.
Now let us be reminded of what we have achieved together during this year. Below are selected important developments in the EUSBSR Policy Secure Area (co-coordinated by the CBSS Secretariat and the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency, MSB). This newsletter also provides a broader overview of key events (meetings, conferences, seminars and exercises), projects and developments within the fields of civil protection and law enforcement, regardless of the institutional affiliation of the actors involved.
Stay Safe and Secure,
PA Secure Team