New EU-Funded Projects to Boost Climate Resilience and Volunteerism in the Baltic Sea Region

Two new projects involving the CBSS have been approved for EU funding and are set to begin in early 2025, focusing on climate resilience and volunteerism in disaster risk reduction.

Two projects on climate resilience and disaster risk reduction, in which the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS) is involved, have received approval for EU funding last week and are due to start in the first half of 2025.

Led by the CBSS, the ClimaResponse project, “Responsive Local Action for Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction”, aims to empower regional and local authorities with tools to effectively plan and implement strategies for climate resilience.

Building on existing initiatives and resources such as CASCADE project’s Toolbox for Climate Risk preparedness and the CBSS’s Handbook for Local Climate Change Adaptation Planning in the Baltic Sea Region, the project will develop a model for climate resilience planning, accessible to local and regional authorities via a digital platform.

The second project, CREWS, “Enhancing Capacities in Disaster Risk Reduction by Facilitating Public-Civil Cooperation”, in which the CBSS is a partner, aims to strengthen disaster risk reduction by leveraging the potential of volunteers and community efforts, fostering collaboration between public authorities and civil society. 

The CREWS project will notably develop a collaboration mechanism and digital tool, adaptable to various regional needs and disaster scenarios, including extreme weather events and military crises, thereby empowering local communities to respond quickly and efficiently to crises.

Both projects will run for three years and are funded by the EU-funded Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme, which can grant up to €2.5 million in co-financing per project. This funding is part of the programme’s allocation of 46.8 million euros to 21 projects under its latest call, focusing on the priorities of Innovative Societies and Climate-Neutral Societies.

ClimaResponse project partners

  1. Council of the Baltic Sea States Secretariat (lead partner)
  2. Association Klaipeda Region
  3. Latvian Association of Local and Regional Governments
  4. Mid Sweden University
  5. “Pomorskie in the European Union” Association
  6. Stockholm Environment Institute Tallinn Centre
  7. Åbo Akademi University
  8. Union of the Baltic Cities Sustainable Cities Commission c/o City of Turku
  9. Municipality of Kristiansand
  10. Lääne-Harju Municipality
  11. Gävle municipality
  12. The Association of Estonian Cities and Municipalities (AECM)

CREWS project partners

  1. Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, District office of Altona (lead partner)
  2. Klaipeda University
  3. Fire and Rescue Department under the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Lithuania
  4. Lithuanian Red Cross Society
  5. Council of the Baltic Sea States Secretariat
  6. Estonian Rescue Board
  7. University of Eastern Finland
  8. State Fire and Rescue Service of Latvia
  9. Jelgava Municipality institution “Jelgava digital centre”
  10. City of Warsaw
  11. The Finnish National Rescue Association
  12. Hamburg Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS)
  13. Danish Civil Protection League