Volunteers in crisis preparedness in Ukraine and Sweden: RiA-ENGAGE study visit

From 29 May to 1 June 2026, partners and invited experts from the Baltic Sea Region and Ukraine met in Sweden for a RiA-ENGAGE study visit focused on cooperation between public authorities, civil society and volunteers in preparedness and crisis response. The visit, hosted by the Swedish Civil Defence Association, included exchanges with Swedish voluntary…

June 1, 2026

PA Secure

PA Secure at the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2026 in Tallinn

PA Secure contributed to several discussions and events at the EUSBSR Annual Forum 2026 in Tallinn, bringing the civil protection and societal security perspective into wider regional conversations on resilience, preparedness and cooperation with Ukraine. Together with PA Health, colleagues from the Polish State Fire Service contributed to a session on sustaining the health and…

May 15, 2026

Volunteerism

Latvian LAPAS to Chair BSR NOVA Network of Volunteers and Authorities

The Latvian Platform for Development Cooperation (LAPAS) has been confirmed as the new Chair of the Baltic Sea Region Network of Volunteer Organisations and Authorities (BSR NOVA) for the period 1 March 2026 – 28 February 2028. The decision follows a call for expressions of interest, with no additional nominations received. The Network will be…

March 1, 2026

Volunteerism

Volunteers & authorities: CREWS meets BSR NOVA network

A recent CREWS workshop at the BSR-NOVA meeting examined how authorities and civil society can work together more effectively to strengthen societal resilience across the Baltic Sea Region. On 10 November 2025, a CREWS workshop held during the meeting of the Baltic Sea Region Network of Volunteer Organisations and Authorities (BSR-NOVA) focused on how authorities…

November 12, 2025

Flagship Projects Volunteerism

CREWS Project Launches to Strengthen Disaster Preparedness Through Community Engagement

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…

April 1, 2025

Civil Protection Volunteerism

BSR-NOVA: New Baltic Sea Region Network for Volunteers and Authorities in Civil Protection

Baltic Sea Region Network of Volunteer Organisations and Authorities (BSR-NOVA) was officially launched on 5 September 2024. The Network is established based on the groundwork laid by the subgroup of volunteers and local actors (2020-2024). This subgroup was initiated by Finland under the EUSBSR Policy Area Secure and CBSS Civil Protection Network. BSR-NOVA, chaired by…

September 10, 2024

Capacity building Volunteerism

Online conference on volunteerism in civil protection: support Ukraine, learn from Ukraine

“This is extremely interesting! Can we organise a separate meeting with you? Would be great to know more about your HAKA database and Finnish legislation! – Of course, I will send you more information and we will set up a meeting!” – this exchange between Ukrainians and Finns is one of several moments showing that…

May 23, 2024

Capacity building Flagship Projects

Baltic Excellence Programme in Denmark: climate change and volunteerism in focus

During 2019-2020, the Danish Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) acts as the chair of the CBSS Civil Protection Network . The Danish chairmanship priorities for this period include climate change and volunteerism. With these priorities in mind, DEMA hosted a module of the Baltic Excellence Programme (BEP) in Civil Security at its training facility in…

November 22, 2019