On June 8, 2026, the third and final coordination group meeting of the project “Stay Safe” (LL-00289) took place in Daugavpils. The primary objective of the meeting was to thoroughly review and agree upon the newly developed civil protection training programs, which are specifically designed to build capacity among regional local government employees, operational services, and local community leaders in crisis situations.
The meeting was actively attended by representatives and leading experts from the competent authorities of both countries, Latvia and Lithuania. Participants included representatives from the State Border Guard (Daugavpils and Ludza Boards), the National Guard 3rd Latgale Brigade, the national cybersecurity incident response institution CERT.lv, as well as local governments of the Latgale region and Lithuanian partners—Panevėžys District Municipality Administration. Improvement of Civil Protection Training Programs
During the meeting, attending specialists conducted an in-depth analysis of the developed training programs. These programs are tailored to the specific challenges of border regions and encompass both theoretical algorithms and practical scenarios for operational action in threat situations. The goal of the training is to ensure that local leaders and municipal specialists can effectively coordinate resources and provide clear guidance to residents during crises.
Upcoming project activities will include conducting training sessions in the Balvi, Ludza, and Krāslava municipalities, as well as in the state cities of Rēzekne and Daugavpils. International training events will also be organized, during which representatives from border municipalities and national responsible services will carry out practical situational simulations.
Coordination group participants, particularly municipal representatives, emphasized the high necessity for training municipal specialists; therefore, the Latgale Planning Region will evaluate opportunities to cover as wide a range of participants as possible when organizing the training.
Joint Civil Protection Strategy and Action Plan Developed
One of the key milestones of the project and a central topic of discussion during the meeting was the jointly developed Latvia–Lithuania Cross-Border Civil Protection Strategy and Action Plan for the Latgale Region and Panevėžys District. This strategic document is built upon the synergy of operational activities and legal frameworks of both countries’ services, focusing on four critically important security pillars:
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Military and Border Threats: Civil protection measures and cooperation mechanisms at the EU outer border.
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Natural and Human-Made Disasters: Response procedures in cases of extreme weather conditions (floods, storms, hail) and large-scale fires.
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First Aid and Medical Assistance: Operational action and resource coordination in cases of mass casualties and emergencies.
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Cyber Threats and Hybrid State Threats: Protection of critical IT infrastructure and societal resilience against disinformation.
During the coordination group meeting on May 22, 2026, held in Lithuania at the Panevėžys District Municipality Administration, comments received regarding the first draft of the strategy were reviewed. Representatives from the participating institutions of both countries discussed the necessary revisions. Since the volume of comments received was minor, experts and institutional representatives quickly agreed on the final version.
The joint strategy offers practical recommendations and a unified operational framework that will henceforth enable institutions on both sides of the border to react in a coordinated, fast, and mutually supportive manner. The document has been drafted in English.
Read the developed document – Joint Civil Protection Strategy and Action Plan.
Next Steps
Coordination group members agreed on the future timeline, which includes piloting the programs and organizing practical international exercises. During the exercises, the developed cross-border cooperation mechanism and action plan will be tested in a real environment, involving both municipal civil protection commissions and operational services.
For Information
The goal of the Interreg VI-A Latvia–Lithuania Programme 2021–2027 is to foster the sustainable and cohesive socio-economic development of the Programme regions, making them more competitive and attractive for living, studying, working, and visiting.
