Crisis management

Local and regional authorities are increasingly exposed to evolving climate-related, industrial, or social risks, such as radicalisation and violent extremism, as well as risks linked to hosting major political, sporting or festive events, and cyber risks. 

What we call the crisis management cycle includes three phases: prevention/risk reduction, management of the incident, and recovery. Each phase requires seamless cooperation between civil protection and security actors.

In the pre-incident and post-incident phases, other stakeholders can also be involved, including victim support associations and representatives of local residents and local businesses. It is key that such cooperation take place across national borders since these risks are transnational.

Recent events such as the flash floods in Valencia (Spain, 2024), or the massive power outage and digital breakdown in Spain and Portugal (2025) have shown how important it is for cities and regions to be well prepared and resilient in case of crisis.  

> Recommendations from the 2025 Security, Democracy and Cities manifesto

> Reports from the 2024 Security, Democracy and Cities conference
– Crisis Management at the Local Level
– Global crises, local impacts: Threats to social cohesion and how cities can respond

European cooperation projects

• PACTESUR
• ALARM (France-Wallonie-Vlaanderen : « FOR SECURITY WITHOUT BORDERS » 2017 – 2021)
• APPORT (Help for Preparing Operational Plans for Cross-border Risks) (2010 – 2013)

> Positioning

In its 2025 Security, Democracy and Cities manifesto, Efus calls for local and regional elected officials to be “fully recognised as actors in civil security, especially during crisis management.” It recommends adopting “in close cooperation with national and international levels of governance” an “integrated approach that makes cities and local authorities more resilient.” Efus members commit to promoting a partnership culture between public stakeholders, emergency services, civil society and private partners such as transport companies, SMEs and businesses, and reaffirming the role of citizens as relevant stakeholders through their association and involvement in crisis prevention and management. Local and regional authorities can make good use of information technologies to do so.