The aim of the Higher Courses on Civil Defence is to give a broader understanding of civil defence and to create a nationwide network of people with basic knowledge in the field. “The course had both theoretical and practical components, with the main topics being crisis preparedness at both individual and municipal level, crisis preparedness of critical services, and the role of the state and local government in a crisis. At the same time, the course highlighted the fragmented nature of the field and the existence of structural problems in areas that do not allow for the development of comprehensive Estonian civil defence system,” said Hannes Nagel, head of the Crisis Research Centre, who attended the course.

 

“In the media, there is mainly talk of permanent funding for civil defence, but there are also legal problems and concerns about public procurement, where rigid views of bureaucrats dominate. In the field of civil defence, we need to start taking long steps to get closer to the level of armed defence,” he said. Another worrying aspect is that there are big differences in the way ministries, agencies and top politicians understand civil defence. There is a lack of political understanding that it is a priority, yet the development of civil defence could be a priority for Estonia in the same way that NATO accession once was.