CTIF launches Civil Defence Working Group to strengthen Europe’s disaster and conflict preparedness

The CTIF – International Association of Fire and Rescue Services has held their first meeting of its new Civil Defence Working Group, bringing together experts from seven European countries to explore closer integration between civil protection systems and national defence strategies. 

The first meeting of this new working group was held online on February 24, 2026. 

Participants emphasized the need for stronger coordination, training, and investment to prepare fire and rescue services for roles during armed conflicts and large-scale emergencies. The group agreed to develop a working paper outlining priorities and to launch a Europe-wide survey of civil protection capabilities, with the aim of strengthening preparedness and informing future policy discussions within the European Parliament and other European institutions.

(Both the conceptual illustrations in this article have been AI generated by Chat GPT from prompts by Bjorn Ulfsson, CTIF.)

Overview:

The first meeting of the CTIF Civil Defence Working Group brought together representatives from seven European countries to discuss the integration of civil protection and defence systems. Participants shared their expectations for the group, including the need for better coordination, training, and resource allocation. The discussion highlighted the importance of preparing for armed conflicts and the need to integrate civil protection into defence strategies. 

Participants agreed to create a working paper summarizing the expectations arising from the discussions, including undertaking a survey to gather information on current civil protection systems across Europe. The group also discussed the potential for influencing EU policy through CTIF’s connections within the European Parliament.

Discussion: Global Civil Defence Knowledge Exchange

The first meeting of the CTIF Civil Defence Working Group was held, with Milan Dubravac, the CTIF President, opening the session. The group aims to share and exchange knowledge on civil defence and explore the diverse meanings of civil protection and civil defence across different regions. 

Dennis Davis, CTIF Executive Committee’s Senior Advisor referring the CTIF statement and background paper on civil defence, outlined the meeting's purpose, emphasizing the need to establish a common understanding of the Commission's objectives. Since success depended upon shared goals and commitment to a common work plan it was important to recognize participants' expectations. Four core objectives had been suggested and refining these with members’ views was a first step. 

In this context the group needed to consider the relevance of cooperation and coordination in civil protection arrangements with an emphasis on the role of fire and rescue service (FRS) operations during armed conflicts, and consider exploring how these operations are undertaken in various countries, including the relationship between the various FRS with regional or international organizations, like the EU, NATO ad UN.

European Fire and Civil Protection Integration

Reflecting that all the representatives at this first meeting came from European countries the discussion considered briefly integration of civil protection and firefighting strategies within the European Union. 

Exploring expectations members emphasized a number of important issues including: 

• the need for funded investment to enhance equipment and software requirements for the FRS role in civil protection; 

• issues arising during transitioning to a more integrated civil defence role; 

• the need for resilience in critical infrastructure and special environments; 

• training and undertaking specialized responses, like USAR in conflicts;

• learning lessons from Ukraine; 

• sustainability, resilience and preparedness of the civil population in disasters;

• advocacy in civil protection funding to balance military and civil protection finance;

• clarity and cataloguing of FRS role within identified civil defence missions; and

• development of best practice guidelines to assist preparations for armed conflicts, including host and transit nation support.

European Commission and European Parliament

The President advised members of CTIF’s ongoing work to establish a more integrated and political approach with both the European Commission and European Parliament. A number of initiatives and funding programmes were highlighted, for example the MEP Intergroup,  the EU White Paper and Readiness 2030 Package.

Summary

Following the members’ discussion on the Commission's purpose, objectives, and potential areas of work, including best practices, capacity building, and funding arrangements it was proposed that a working paper be developed to refine the objectives and help formulate a work plan. 

Additionally the group agreed to conduct a survey to gather data on civil protection capabilities across European countries. Volunteers could then be sought to lead different work strands. The President and others will promote the group and seek additional members. 

The next steps would include drafting a summary paper, planning a follow-up meeting, and establishing a more formal structure for the commission.

Participants:

The meeting brought together representatives from the CTIF – International Association of Fire and Rescue Services and several European countries, reflecting a broad cross-section of expertise in civil protection, firefighting, and emergency management.

• CTIF – International Association of Fire and Rescue Services: Milan Dubravac, Dennis Davis, Neza Strmole
• Czech Republic: Petr Ošlejšek
• France: Thierry Gautreau
• Lithuania: Giedrius Viganauskas
• Luxembourg: Paul Schroeder
• Slovenia: mag. Damijan Jaklin
• Greece: Lieutenant Fire Colonel Karimalis Evaggelos; Fire Captain Ntoukakis Charalambos
• DETKA: Martin Juhasz (Associate Member)

Participants represented both national fire and civil protection authorities as well as international fire service organizations and technical partners involved in civil defence preparedness.