The heightened security situation highlights the need for preparedness in both the Baltic Sea and Euro-Arctic regions. This was the key message from the international Rescue Borealis 2025 field exercise held in Oulu this week.
EU Commissioner responsible for preparedness, Hadja Lahbib, personally observed the exercise in Oulu and praised both the seamless cooperation among participants and the interoperability of the EU’s rescEU reserves. ”It is crystal clear that Europe must urgently strengthen both civilian and military readiness – and this is exactly what we are doing right now”, the Commissioner Lahbib stated.
Read more…
Source: Mun Oulu News
Sign up for the Counter-IED Report Newsletters
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox
Related:
- Libya: Italy and international partners relaunch support for mine clearance
May 22, 2026
According to data from the Libyan Centre for Mine and War Remnants Activities, since 2011 over 688 million square metres of Libyan territory have been contaminated by explosive devices or war remnants. Italy, the European Union, and nine other countries have confirmed their commitment to supporting mine clearance and unexploded ordnance clearance activities in Libya, considered ...
- EU-funded equipment handed to Lebanon to tackle hidden explosive threats
May 14, 2026
Explosive ordnance disposal equipment funded by the European Union has been handed over to the Lebanon Mine Action Center at a ceremony in Kfarchima, east of Beirut. The event took place at the Logistic Brigade and marked the delivery of equipment intended for explosive ordnance disposal — the detection and removal of unexploded bombs, mines and ...
- Sudan: European Union funds Mine Action Programme to support recovery and safe returns
April 28, 2026
The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Sudan has received new funding from the European Commission’s Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (FPI) to support mine action activities aimed at improving civilian safety, humanitarian access, and early recovery in conflict-affected areas of Sudan. The United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) in Sudan has received new funding ...
- Belgium: Practical tests for new CBRN-E technologies in the EU project TeamUP
March 23, 2026
In the last week of February, the TeamUP consortium conducted usability tests and a small-scale trial at the “Campus VESTA” test site in Ranst, Belgium. Numerous new technologies have been developed as part of the project, including sensors for detecting hazardous substances, digital tools for coordinating operations, and solutions for triage, decontamination, and situational awa-reness. Following ...
- Anti-personnel mines are back in Europe
February 27, 2026
To mark Poland’s official withdrawal from the Ottawa Convention or the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty, Julia Głębocka, Human rights researcher for Amnesty International Poland, reflects on what the return of these indiscriminate weapons means for human rights in Europe. Not so long ago, in 2020, the European Union was funding mine relief efforts in Lebanon and ...
- Afghanistan: The hidden explosive threat
February 16, 2026
In Afghanistan, the guns have fallen silent, but the war remains buried beneath the soil in the form of deadly explosive items, including landmines and unexploded remnants of war. The European Union supports mine clearance efforts so communities can safely use land for farming, housing, and schools, while also funding risk education and providing medical ...
- EU unveils €90 billion defence-focused loan to Ukraine
January 14, 2026
The European Commission formally presented a €90 billion loan package to Ukraine on Wednesday, as Brussels races to support Kyiv’s war effort amid increasingly fierce Russian attacks and US-led efforts to end the war. Two-thirds of the package will be used to provide military assistance to Ukraine, which could involve procuring weapons and ammunition from outside ...
- Kenya: Government unveils national action plan to boost hazardous threat response
November 29, 2025
Kenya has taken a major step in strengthening its ability to deal with dangerous substances by releasing its first national plan dedicated to chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. The CBRN National Action Plan outlines how the government will organise, respond and prepare for emergencies linked to hazardous materials, a move that comes at a time ...
- European Commission weighs creation of intelligence arm amid global tensions
November 11, 2025
The European Commission is considering setting up a dedicated intelligence cell to strengthen security amid geopolitical difficulties, an EU spokesperson said on Tuesday, adding that the initiative is still at an early stage. “We are in a challenging geopolitical and geoeconomic environment, and the Commission, because of this, is examining how to strengthen its security and ...
- Togo: Protecting civilians from the risks of Improvised Explosive Devices
November 11, 2025
As part of its support to the Togolese government to strengthen the protection of civilian populations in the north of the country against the risk posed by explosive devices, including Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism (UNOCT), in collaboration with the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), implemented several activities, ...
- Yemen: Fighting an invisible danger of landmines
November 6, 2025
Yemen remains one of the world’s most severe humanitarian crises. With deteriorating food security, soaring malnutrition rates, and recurring epidemic outbreaks, the country is on the brink of collapse. On top of Yemen’s many crises, landmines and explosive remnants of war (ERW) have made the country even more dangerous. Years of conflict and economic collapse have ...
- EU Assistance to Ukraine
October 14, 2025
Over $70 billion in military assistance – ranging from ammunition to air-defense systems, Leopard tanks, and fighter jets. This includes an unprecedented $6.6 billion from the “European Peace Facility,” in addition to bilateral contributions by our Member States. On top of that, in March 2024, the Council established a dedicated Ukraine Assistance Fund worth $5.4 ...
- Rescue Borealis exercise boosted Europe’s preparedness for security threats
October 3, 2025
The heightened security situation highlights the need for preparedness in both the Baltic Sea and Euro-Arctic regions. This was the key message from the international Rescue Borealis 2025 field exercise held in Oulu this week. EU Commissioner responsible for preparedness, Hadja Lahbib, personally observed the exercise in Oulu and praised both the seamless cooperation among participants ...
- Libya Adopts First National Plan to Mitigate Chemical and Nuclear Risks with EU Support
September 25, 2025
Libya has adopted its first-ever national plan to reduce risks related to chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) materials. The development was announced by the EU Service for Foreign Policy Instruments (EU FPI). According to the announcement, the plan was developed with support from the European Union through its CBRN Centres of Excellence initiative. The objective ...
- Cote d’Ivoire: EUSDI GoG boosts Ivorian Defense Against improvised explosives
September 16, 2025
The Spanish Canary Islands Command provides specialized training on the threat of improvised explosive devices in Cote d’Ivoire as part of the EU Security and Defence Inititiative in the Gulf of Guinea (EUSDI GoG). Far from home, under the demanding African sun, soldiers of Spain’s 16th Canary Islands Brigade carried out a mission that transcended military ...