CREWS project

CREWS – Enhancing Capacities in Disaster Risk Reduction by Facilitating Public–Civil Cooperation – addresses the growing need to strengthen disaster risk reduction (DRR) across the Baltic Sea Region.

By harnessing the potential of civil society, the project empowers local communities and fosters stronger collaboration between public authorities and informal actors during crises.

CREWS promotes cross-border cooperation and knowledge exchange to develop a joint collaboration mechanism tailored to regional needs. The project’s two key outputs – a cooperation model and a digital coordination tool – aim to enhance crisis management and build resilience through a whole-of-society approach.

Running from March 2025 to February 2028, CREWS is led by the District Office of Altona, Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, and co-funded by the Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme. The project unites 13 partners including municipalities, rescue services, academic institutions, and civil society organizations.

CREWS seeks to:

  • Strengthen public–civil cooperation: Build effective partnerships between public institutions and civil society in disaster risk reduction.
  • Enhance community resilience: Equip local communities to respond to a wide range of crises swiftly and inclusively.
  • Build institutional capacity: Provide public authorities and first responders with training and tools for improved crisis coordination.
  • Activate civil society engagement: Support volunteers and NGOs in playing a structured, meaningful role in disaster preparedness and response.
  • Develop adaptable solutions: Create scalable tools and models transferable across national and regional contexts.

Why it matters

Communities in the Baltic Sea Region face a growing range of threats — including floods, droughts, pandemics, and geopolitical crises. Traditionally, disaster response has focused on formal actors such as emergency services. However, events like the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have highlighted the limitations of this model and the critical role of civil society in effective crisis response.

Despite this, civil society actors remain underutilized in many countries' DRR systems. CREWS aims to fill this gap by building trust, skills, and cooperation between state authorities and community-based actors. By enabling inclusive collaboration, the project contributes to stronger, more resilient societies.

CREWS directly supports the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region (EUSBSR) – especially Policy Area Secure and Policy Area Innovation – by improving preparedness, fostering a shared security culture, and promoting innovative DRR approaches.

Project Partners

  • Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg, District Office of Altona (Lead Partner) – Germany
  • City of Warsaw – Poland
  • Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS)
  • Danish Civil Protection League – Denmark
  • Estonian Rescue Services Agency
  • Finnish National Rescue Association – Finland
  • Fire and Rescue Department under the Ministry of Interior – Lithuania
  • Hamburg Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) – Germany
  • Jelgava Municipality Institution “Jelgava Digital Centre” – Latvia
  • Klaipeda University – Lithuania
  • Lithuanian Red Cross Society
  • State Fire and Rescue Service – Latvia
  • University of Eastern Finland

CREWS is funded by the EU’s Interreg Baltic Sea Region Programme.

crews project logo and visuals