About the event
The 9th European Civil Protection Forum takes place on 3-4 November 2026 in Brussels, under the theme "Preparing today, ready for tomorrow".
The Forum is the flagship event of the European civil protection community. Held every two years, it brings together policymakers, civil protection authorities, first responders, practitioners, researchers and other key stakeholders from across Europe and beyond.
Join us to exchange knowledge, strengthen cooperation, and contribute to discussions on the future of European civil protection.
Venue: Tour & Taxis, Avenue du Port 86c, 1000 Brussels
"When floods rise, wildfires rage, the ground shakes or in any other disaster, no country should face these alone. In our darkest moments, Europe stands together. For 25 years, and more than 880 times, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has turned solidarity into action, sending firefighters toward the flames, rescue teams into the rubble, and vital support to communities in Europe and around the world. At the European Civil Protection Forum, we will build on that solidarity together to strengthen our resilience and anticipate future crises."
Programme overview
Each day opens with a high-level plenary session that sets the strategic direction for the discussions ahead. Breakout sessions follow, as panel discussions and interactive workshops on partnerships and financing, evolving risks and emerging threats, and research and innovation.
Alongside the sessions, there will be plenty of activities to explore: a Speakers' Corner with snappy, engaging talks; the indoor and outdoor Civil Protection Village with new solutions from Member States, Participating States, partners and the private sector; a dedicated Youth Agenda with 100 young participants from across Europe; the EU Civil Protection Mechanism 25th anniversary celebration, and the UCPM medal ceremony to honour exceptional commitment and contributions to the UCPM.
Agenda: Tuesday, 3 November
08:00-9:30
Registration and welcome coffee
09:30-9:45
Opening remarks: Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management (livestreamed)
09:45-10:45
High-level plenary session - A stronger Union through population preparedness (livestreamed)
10:45-11:15
Coffee break
11:15-12:45
Parallel sessions
- Panel sessions
- Plenary Room (livestreamed): Session 1, Strengthening risk communication: addressing disinformation and building public trust
- Studio 1 (livestreamed): Session 2, The role of social partners in strengthening preparedness for workers and employers
- Studio 2 (livestreamed): Session 3, Advancing integrated wildfire risk management: governance and innovations
- Workshops
- Studio 3: Workshop 1, Strengthening civil-military cooperation: from national examples to EU support
- Studio 4: Workshop 2, Bridging the AI gap: From innovation to operational use in civil protection
- Live activities and demonstrations
- CP Village activities
- Panel sessions
12:45-14:30
Networking lunch
- Side events
- Speakers' Corner (see schedule under the Speakers' Corner section below and in the Event Brochure)
- Community and engagement
UCPM Foosball Championship
- Side events
14:30–16:00
Parallel sessions
- Panel sessions
- Plenary Room (livestreamed): Session 4, Operationalising preparedness and resilience: insights from Ukraine
- Studio 1 (livestreamed): Session 5, Scaling local civil protection through city networks and EU partnerships
- Studio 2 (livestreamed): Session 6, Bridging governance for resilient futures: Advancing integrated all-hazards approaches across Climate Change Adaption and Disaster Risk Reduction frameworks
- Workshops
- Studio 3: Workshop 3, Science in action: UCPM scientific partnerships for preparedness and response
- Studio 4: Workshop 4, Volunteers on the ground: effective and safe volunteering in civil protection
- Side events
- Speakers' Corner (see schedule under the Speakers' Corner section below and in the Event Brochure)
- Live activities and demonstrations
- CP Village activities
- Panel sessions
16:00–16:30
Coffee break
16:30–18:00
Parallel sessions
- Panel sessions
- Plenary Room (livestreamed): Session 7, Unlocking the private sector's role in European preparedness
- Studio 1 (livestreamed): Session 8, Turning Medevac operations in Europe into resilient capacity
- Studio 2 (livestreamed): Session 9, Preparedness education in schools
- Workshops
- Studio 3: Workshop 5, From risk assessment to preparedness: connecting perspectives
- Studio 4: Workshop 6, Preparedness starts with people: embedding mental health and psychological support
- Live activities and demonstrations
- CP Village activities
- Panel sessions
18:00–18:15
Break
18:15–18:45
Celebrating the 25th anniversary of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and the UCPM Medal Ceremony (livestreamed)
19:00–22:00
Networking dinner and concert
Agenda: Wednesday, 4 November
08:00–09:00
Registration and welcome coffee
09:00–09:45
Stories from 25 years of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (livestreamed)
09:45–10:45
High-level plenary session - From sectoral response to integrated crisis management: the role of civil protection (livestreamed)
10:45–11:15
Coffee break
11:15–12:45
Parallel sessions
- Panel sessions
- Plenary Room (livestreamed): Session 10, From forecast to action: innovative early warning systems for civil protection
- Studio 1 (livestreamed): Session 11, Extreme heat preparedness: from seasonal response to systemic resilience
- Studio 2 (livestreamed): Session 12, Innovations for crisis management: bringing drones and ground robots into action
- Workshops
- Studio 3: Workshop 7, Institutionalising youth engagement in disaster preparedness and response
- Studio 4: Workshop 8, Strengthening host nation support across Europe: from guidelines to action
- Live activities and demonstrations
- CP Village activities
- Panel sessions
12:45–14:30
Networking lunch
- Side events
- Speakers' Corner (see schedule under the Speakers' Corner section below and in the Event Brochure)
- Community and engagement
- UCPM Foosball Championship
- Side events
14:30–16:00
Parallel sessions
- Panel sessions
- Plenary Room (livestreamed): Session 13, Safety skills belong to everybody: inclusive civil protection is the future
- Studio 1 (livestreamed): Session 14, Medical Countermeasures: from preparedness to response
- Studio 2 (livestreamed): Session 15, Key aspects of civil protection plans and local activation for new flood scenarios
- Workshops
- Studio 3: Workshop 9, Establishing capability targets for disaster resilience over the next decade
- Studio 4: Workshop 10, Citizens and civil society in war time
- Live activities and demonstrations
- CP Village activities
- Panel sessions
16:00–16:15
UCPM Foosball Championship Award Ceremony (livestreamed)
16:15–16:30
Closing remarks: Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management (livestreamed)
Download the agenda (PDF)
Agenda - 9th Civil Protection Forum 2026.pdf
(40.4 KB - PDF)Download the event brochure (PDF)
Brochure 9th Civil Protection Forum 2026.pdf
(425.1 KB - PDF)Sessions and speakers
Find out more about the sessions and our speakers.
Side Events
Meet the voices shaping civil protection: featured for the first time at the Forum, the Speakers’ Corner is an opportunity to engage with experts and community members who present their work and share insights on European civil protection. Through a series of talks, participants will discover a range of projects, initiatives and experiences from across Europe. The programme will feature new voices like Kimy Brehme, who will talk about their experience at the Citizens' Panel on Preparedness, bringing citizens’ perspectives into the discussion. Join us during the lunch breaks and in the afternoons to connect with the community.
Youth Agenda
The Forum's Youth Agenda brings together young professionals, volunteers, researchers and civil society actors to exchange experiences and contribute to wider policy discussions on European civil protection and preparedness. Building on previous youth engagement initiatives, delegates take part in dedicated activities alongside the main programme, with outcomes captured in the CPF Youth Report and future opportunities for engagement.
Live Activities & Exhibitions
A central part of the Forum experience, the Civil Protection Village brings together EU Member States, UCPM Participating States, partners, EU-funded projects and the private sector to showcase innovative solutions in disaster risk management from across Europe and beyond. The 50 stands representing almost 60 organisations share knowledge on key policy and operational issues that help to shape future work on preparedness and civil protection. Here you can meet civil protection practitioners, legislators, researchers and experts, and see first-hand the state-of-art projects they are developing.
The walking street just outside the Forum entrance hosts our outdoor exhibitors. During the two days of the forum, NGOs, the private sector, and UCPM Participating States showcase equipment, techniques and innovative solutions used in disaster response and preparedness. Participants will have the opportunity to walk through a Community Preparedness Village, discover how deployable communication network systems and rapid deployment hospitals work during an emergency, and see how a vehicle from a rescEU fleet supervises civil and military exercises in the field using Extended Reality (XR) technologies.
Try your hand at interactive games and simulations exploring civil protection themes, from risk-based decision-making and wildfire preparedness to heritage-led resilience planning. Hands-on activities also cover AI-supported emergency exercises and psychological first aid, giving participants a practical, engaging way to experience the challenges of disaster preparedness and response.
Community & Engagement
UCPM Foosball Championship 2026
The UCPM Foosball Championship 2026 gives representatives of UCPM Member and Participating States a chance to get to know each other and to build unity and collaboration across our civil protection network. As in 2024, on the first day, each team plays three matches against the other teams in its group. On the second day, the 16 best teams compete in a play-off phase to decide the winning team of the UPMF Foosball Championship. Come to support your team!
The CPF Social Media Ambassadors campaign helps foster engagement, and raise awareness for the event on social media, enlisting influential civil protection practitioners.
Art Installation
Immerse yourself in "Tales from the Receding Edge", an interactive digital art installation created by artist Calin Segal that visualises coastal erosion and climate change. The installation uses climate and marine real-time data from Copernicus and MEDCORDEX to show how coastlines change, shrink, and reshape over time.
Past editions
The 8th European Civil Protection Forum took place in Brussels on 4-5 June 2024.
The 7th European Civil Protection Forum took place in Brussels on 28-29 June 2022.
6th edition of the Civil Protection Forum, organised by the European Commission on 5 and 6 March 2018 in Brussels.
5th edition of the Civil Protection Forum, organised by the European Commission on 6 and 7 May 2015 in Brussels.