Civil preparedness is often discussed in terms of national systems and emergency response. Yet in practice, preparedness is built and maintained through local and regional governance, everyday services, and public communication.
This webinar presents a Nordic policy overview of civil preparedness, focusing on the roles and responsibilities of municipalities, regions, national authorities, citizens, civil society and businesses.
Through presentations and discussion with Nordic practitioners, the webinar explores how preparedness is organised across countries, what works well, where challenges remain, and whether Nordic cooperation adds value at the local level.
Programme
| 13:00 | Welcome & setting the scene Anne Katrine Ebbesen, Senior Communications Advisor, Nordregio – Moderator Elin Slätmo, Senior Research Fellow, Nordregio – Project Lead |
| 13:10 | Nordic policy overview: How is civil preparedness organised? Line Andreasen, Junior Research Fellow, Nordregio – Research presenter |
| 13:30 | Preparedness in practice: Three perspectives Municipal level – Carina Sammeli, Luleå Municipality, Sweden What happens when responsibility meets reality? Carina Sammeli shares how municipalities like Luleå are managing preparedness in practice, where roles often overlap and expectations are shifting. From food supply and social services to cyber threats and energy disruptions, she will unpack the everyday pressures local governments face. The session also touches on new demands linked to NATO integration and what they mean for local capacity and infrastructure. Expect concrete insights into coordination challenges, cross-border dependencies with Finland, and what resilient Nordic cooperation looks like from a municipal perspective. Regional level – Urdur Gunnarsdottir – East-Icelandic Regional Council, Iceland Clear communication can determine how well a society responds to crisis. Urdur Gunnarsdottir explores how regional actors in Iceland are strengthening coordination and communication in a system that is both centralised and community-dependent. Drawing on recent landslide events, she will show how authorities are rethinking engagement, including how to involve youth and support communities beyond the immediate response phase. The session also highlights new tools and approaches, from public information platforms to decision-support systems, that help translate risk into action at the local level. Civil Society level – Per Højriis Vedsted – North Jutland’s Emergency Services, Denmark Preparedness is a shared responsibility. Not just a service to be provided. Succes depends on collaboration beyond formal systems. Per Højriis Vedsted will tell us about the value of partnerships between emergency services, municipalities, communities and local businesses. With examples from North Jutland, he will guide us through how fire safety campaigns are developed and which new approaches help sustain engagement. The presentation will also feature the challenges and strengths of collaboration initiatives with the municipality and local employers to recruit more part-time firefighters in more remote regions. |
| 14:15 | Audience Q&A and reflection |
| 14:25 | Wrap-up & next steps |
Speakers
Carina Sammeli- Mayor of Luleå Municipality
Carina Sammeli has served as the Mayor of Luleå Municipality in Northern Sweden since 2021. In her role, she is dedicated to fostering sustainable growth in Luleå and the broader region, with a strong emphasis on enabling the green industrial transition in northern Sweden.
With extensive political experience, Mayor Sammeli previously held the position of regional party secretary for the Social Democratic Party in Norrbotten and served as Chair of the Luleå School Board. She holds a degree in Economics and has worked as a political adviser at the Swedish Ministry of Finance. Additionally, she contributed to railway research and development as a project coordinator at the Swedish Transport Administration.
Urður Gunnarsdóttir- Project manager at Austurbrú regional development and research agency
Urður has a background in journalism and diplomacy, working for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe for 11 years and for the Icelandic Ministry for Foreign Affairs for another decade, focusing on communication and policy. This has included communication during crisis, including with the Civil Protection and Emergency Management of Iceland.
At Austurbrú she has managed projects dealing with the aftermath of the 2020 landslides in Seyðisfjörður and taken part in research focusing on crisis; resilience of societies following natural catastrophes, and a project on information to inhabitants of such areas. The latter is a European project, so-called HuT whose overall aim is to finding effective strategies to manage the risks associated with extreme climate events.
Per Højriis Vedsted – Head of Emergency Response at North Jutland’s Emergency Services, Denmark
Per has strong professional roots in prevention, crisis management and strategic risk management. He is focused on interdisciplinary collaboration and development of robust solutions that strengthen both organizations and society’s overall preparedness.
With an education in architectural technology and construction management and a specialization in quality assurance, Per takes a technical and analytical approach to safety and operations. Per also has a master’s degree in statistics and a diploma in management, having since built a solid combination of data-driven decision support and modern management skills. Per is passionate about combining professionalism, relationships and strategy to create a preparedness that both prevents, prepares and delivers.
Line Andreasen, Junior Research Fellow, Nordregio
Political scientist specialised in international relations, with an academic foundation from the University of Copenhagen. Line’s research interests lie in the intersection of diplomacy, governance, and cross-border cooperation, with a particular focus on Nordic and European political dynamics.
Elin Slätmo, Senior Research Fellow, Nordregio
Human geographer specialised in regional and local planning, urban-rural relations and agricultural geography. Elin’s research interests are in governance models, territorial and multi-level governance, energy transition, sustainable development, actor-structure relations, resilience and participatory methods.
Anne Katrine Ebbesen, Senior Communications Advisor, Nordregio
Policy and science communications specialist, Anne Katrine has an academic background in rhetoric, with a distinct focus on political discourse language, conflict analysis and argumentation. Most of her professional experience is from the fields of infrastructure, migration, human rights and public safety.
