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Critical Infrastructure
Civil Defense Strengthened in the Baltic Sea Region
On March 3-4, ten Baltic Sea countries gathered in Stockholm to take the next step in their joint efforts to manage large cross-border population movements that may arise from countries and areas near threats from enemies. The Civil Defense Agency has been tasked, together with the Finnish Ministry of the Interior, to develop a common plan for handling larger cross-border population movements. Over two days, directors general, ambassadors, senior officials from responsible departments and agencies on civilian and military sides, high-ranking NATO and EU officials, and regional experts gathered to strengthen joint civil-military planning regarding cross-border population movements and deepen cooperation across the Baltic Sea area. Leading representatives from authorities, departments, NATO, and the EU participated to enhance civil-military planning and cooperation. Finland, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Germany, together with the Swedish government, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on population protection and managing larger population movements across borders. Sweden, as the lead nation for the MoU cooperation in 2026, is responsible for coordinating the work and reporting to the responsible ministers at the beginning of 2027.