“Our challenges are structural but also cultural, I think that people are having national minds and in that sense international cooperation is not as established in civil protection as it is in other areas. The EU cooperation in civil protection is a new thing and we all still have to learn, for example how we can make it more operational. My impression is that cooperation so far was mainly a type of cultural exchange of best practices. Now it is becoming more strategic and hands on. I am thinking about the Nordic cooperation for example and that we are developing entire Nordic modules.”
“Now it is more substantive. I think this is really going forward now and it should.”
“It’s excellent! Very useful in the sense that when you hear about experience of different people from different countries you also get a regional perspective. I think this is really good and when we are involved with this kind of work you can bring ideas into your national planning of strategies.”
Veera Mielikki Parko works as Ministerial Adviser at the Department for Rescue Services and International Affairs of the Finnish Ministry of Interior