Priit Laaniste, Behind the scenes of the Baltic Leadership Programme, Ministry of Interior, Estonia

"Sometimes the smallest idea is the most useful" about international cooperation? "We have a saying in Estonian, 'to get stuck in a “frog’s pond', meaning if you only swim back and forth in the same small pond - you cannot really learn from that. So if you spend too much time in Estonia with your problems,…

May 11, 2015

Capacity building Civil Protection Flagship Projects

Behind the scenes of the Baltic Leadership Programme: Tine Weiss-Thorsoe, Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA)

"We like having guidelines, but we prefer having non-binding guidelines" international cooperation? "For me personally, in my job international cooperation means almost everything - because it is what I do on a daily basis. But also, I think that most countries in this group are small countries,…

April 23, 2015

Capacity building Civil Protection Flagship Projects

Behind the scenes of the Baltic Leadership Programme: Alo Tammsalu, Estonian Rescue Board

"Looking back helps us to look into the future" about international cooperation? "I have been participating in different EU- and NATO courses. They have given me a lot of contacts, which I have used to improve our systems. The Estonian system is quite new actually, and that is why we have tried to use…

April 23, 2015

Capacity building Civil Protection Flagship Projects

Behind the scenes of the Baltic Leadership Programme, Veera Mielikki Parko, Ministry of Interior, Finland

"International cooperation is now more substantive. I think this is really going forward and it should." about international cooperation? "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…

April 23, 2015

Capacity building Civil Protection Flagship Projects

Behind the scenes of the Baltic Leadership Programme, Charlotta Herrström, Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB), Sweden

"It is good to get out of the daily routine, to take a step back and see the bigger picture" about the programme? "It is an important possibility to meet other people from around the Baltic Sea Region and to exchange ideas and experiences. Networking is good and to have a face to countries we are working with - for me…

April 21, 2015

Capacity building Civil Protection Flagship Projects

Behind the scenes from the Baltic Leadership Programme, Martins Baltmanis, State Fire & Rescue Service, Latvia

"We need to raise awareness in the community" international cooperation "In my role I am responsible for all phases in disaster management, prevention, preparedness and recovery, so the exchange with other countries helps me: if something works in a neighbor country, we do not have to reinvent the wheel. You can get inspiration from other knowledge or structures." main…

April 16, 2015

Capacity building Flagship Projects

Participants’ Stories: Coming up with Good Ideas

Ulrika Postgärd , Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency MSB Sonja Dobo, Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency MSB Sonja and Ulrika were participants from Sweden, working at the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency MSB. Their fields of work, however, are quite different. Sonja is a marine eco – toxicologist who coordinates the work with oil spill preparedness and works…

January 22, 2014

Capacity building Flagship Projects

Participants’ Stories: Developing Flexible Approaches

Jurijus Targonskas (Right) - State Fire and Rescue Service under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania Jurijus works at the Lithuanian State Fire and Rescue Service under the Ministry of the Interior where he leads a department and is responsible for civil protection in Lithuania, including legislation, monitoring, supervision and…

January 22, 2014

Capacity building Flagship Projects

Participants’ Stories: Creating a Team

Neringa Brogaitė - Karvelienė, State Fire and Rescue Service under the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Lithuania Neringa’s expierence of the Baltic Leadership Programme was that it allows a participant to relate all the fields of their work to it – current daily work, the work they will do in the…

January 22, 2014

Capacity building Flagship Projects

Participants’ Stories: Facilitating Engagement

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…

January 22, 2014