Launch of the CEN Workshop on 'Guidelines for Disaster Risk Preparedness Solutions'

This Workshop is initiated in response to the growing demand for a coherent, interoperable, and future-proof approach to disaster preparedness across multiple sectors and stakeholder communities, especially in light of increasingly complex, systemic, and multi-hazard risks.

Many publicly funded initiatives produce tools, platforms, and processes to improve preparedness for disasters, but there is currently little or no consistency in how these outputs are presented or made sustainable for future use by Citizens, Authorities & Municipalities, Policymakers & Researchers, Practitioners & Responders. This new CEN Workshop aims to deliver an advisory set of ‘good practice’ recommendations agreed by current projects on how this can be improved, potentially laying the foundations for future consistency.

Standardisation is essential in the following areas:

1. Structured and harmonised documentation of preparedness solutions
2. Improved interoperability and searchability of tools and resources
3. Sustainability and integration of innovative planning methods
4. Stakeholder collaboration and coordination in disaster risk preparedness

By establishing a common standard, the CEN Workshop will play a critical role in supporting a unified and sustainable framework for sharing practical tools, methods, and frameworks. Rather than developing new tools or systems, the resulting CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA) will align with existing European regulations and standards while remaining adaptable to local needs and future innovations. It will not define new safety requirements, but its recommendations can support risk assessment by leveraging existing standards.

The kick-off meeting for the Workshop is planned to take place remotely on the 24th of September 2025, from 10.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. (CEST). Interested participants can register for the meeting by sending an email to paolo.mansi@uni.com.

All interested parties are invited to submit comments on the draft Project Plan using the commenting form below. Please send comments to the Workshop secretary (UNI), Paolo Mansi (paolo.mansi@uni.com), by the 23rd of September 2025.

For more technical details, please refer to the draft Project Plan, which contains all relevant technical information. Additionally, comments or observations can be submitted via the dedicated commenting form below.

Through this inclusive and forward-looking initiative, the Workshop aims to foster long-term impact and lay the foundation for future European standardisation efforts in disaster preparedness, including contributions from the broader Societal Resilience Cluster (SRC), the Responder Technology Cluster (RTC), and the CBRNe and Standardisation Cluster (CSTAC), as facilitated by CMINE.

Download the documents:

• Workshop description and draft Project Plan
• Agenda of the Kick-off Meeting
• Registration form
• Commenting form