On 7 November 2022, Minister for the Interior Kristaps Eklons, together with Estonian and Lithuanian Ministers for the Interior, sent an official letter to the Commissioner for Crisis Management of the European Commission, Janez Lenarčič, to encourage a discussion among Ministers for the Interior on strengthening civil protection at EU level and discussing preparedness for different types of threats and crisis situations.
“Civil protection is the interaction between the state and the population. Given that no two crises are the same, civil protection plans need to be able to be implemented and adapted to different situations. Taking into account the Russian war in Ukraine and the hybrid attack organised by Belarus, the measures in the National Civil Protection Plan have been revised, with a particular focus on the response to a potential threat to the country. However, strengthening the security of the European Union requires a common vision on how to deal with crisis situations, both at the level of the Baltic States and the European Union as a whole,” emphasized Minister of the Interior Kristaps Eklons.
The current geopolitical and security situation in the region has made the strengthening of civil protection even more important, and the Ministers of the Interior propose that the European Commission organise a joint ministerial discussion to focus greater political attention on strengthening civil protection. The discussion would allow Member States to share their views and ideas on how to strengthen and improve the civil protection mechanism and resilience of the EU to various threats, including hybrid threats, and to agree on the mobilization of EU financial instruments.
The ministerial discussion could also include the organization of joint exercises and measures to raise public awareness in the event of a threat.
Last month, Minister for the Interior Kristaps Eklons held a meeting with Ministersfor the Interior of the Baltic States to share experiences on strengthening internal security and to discuss the development of civil protection systems in the region. The meeting focused on the resilience of critical infrastructure and the prevention of chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.
Prepared by:
Ministry of the Interior
Communication Department
kn@iem.gov.lv