Looking back retrospectively to his own expectations, when signing up for the Baltic Leadership Programme Jevgenijs Golovcuks from the Latvian State Fire and Rescue Service says he hoped for a good networking opportunity with participants from all countries of the region, which would include setting some kind of common rules for cooperation in the region. Seeing the result of the programme, he is convinced that these expectations have been met: participants have developed a thorough knowledge on how to cooperate together, as well as a common understanding and a strategic vision for civil protection project cooperation and project management. Jevgenijs is convinced that now the participants are a team.
“I was very pleased with the atmosphere that was created in the programme and that everyone was involved 100% from the beginning to the end. They all were interested in what was happening! Sometimes people don’t see the benefit of participating so they lose interest, but here the benefit was quite visible. I also found the combination of participants from different backgrounds to be very useful, it enabled us to deliver experiences from multiple sides,” – said Jevgenijs.
Reflecting on his personal gain from the programme, Jevgenijs emphasised that he developed a stronger interest in the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) and its context, including political discussions and project funding opportunities. He is convinced that after the Baltic Leadership Programme the region has established a new space for project cooperation where cooperation in the framework of the EUSBSR will be a priority.