The EU for Global Transnational Citizens’ Panel in Riga, Latvia, took place on 24–25 February 2026 and was hosted by the Latvian Platform for Development Cooperation (LAPAS). The panel brought together citizens from across the EU to reflect on the role of the European Union in the world, with a particular focus on strengthening community resilience, promoting active citizenship, and fostering solidarity.
On February 24–25, 2026, the Latvian Platform for Development Cooperation (LAPAS) hosted a Transnational Citizens’ Panel, featuring a high-level event on February 25 titled “Code of Resilience: from Local Security to International Solidarity”. This forum convened 74 participants from 14 countries to address EU values, specifically community resilience, active citizenship, and global solidarity. By bridging the gap between grassroots perspectives and institutional policy, the event served as a collaborative platform to define the “Resilience Code”for an evolving geopolitical landscape.
The panel was characterized by rigorous intellectual exchange and a LAPAS methodologydesigned to translate EU core values—specifically diversity, freedom, and democracy—alongside the core event topics of resilience, active citizenship, and global solidarity into actionable policy drivers at the EU, national, local, and individual levels. The event functioned as a practical channel of participation, continuing the momentum of the Conference on the Future of Europe by connecting international discourse with local realities. This was further exemplified by solidarity actions in support of Ukraine on February 24, which tangibly demonstrated global solidarity and active citizenship.
The main event was anchored by a series of high-level expert interventions:
- Values as a Moral Compass: Anna Proskurina of Democracy International (Germany/Ukraine) delivered a keynote that framed resilience and global solidarity not merely as response mechanisms, but as foundational European identities.
- Human Security and Self-Organization: A specialized panel titled “Human Security through Self-Organization: Local Action, Global Context” featured Yuliia Vusenko (Deputy of the Volyn Regional Council, Ukraine), Tatiana Olivero (Head of Domestic Programmes, Poland), and Gaja Šavelė (Director of the National Coalition of NGOs, Lithuania). They examined how active citizenship serves as the primary engine for resilience in a context of global solidarity.
- Institutional Integration: Senior officials, including State Secretary Dimitrijs Trofimovs, Ivars Nakurts (Deputy Chief of the State Fire and Rescue Service), Gatis Švika (Director of the Sectoral Policy Department, Ministry of the Interior), Gints Reinsons (Deputy Director of the National Crisis Management Centre), Aigars Mikiško (Director of the Crisis Management and Resilience Department, Ministry of Defence), and Ambassador-at-Large Juris Poikāns, analyzed the interplay between national defense, interior policy, and international EU initiatives. Their insights reinforced the systemic nature of resilience and the critical role of active citizenship and NGOs.
- Global Solidarity Perspectives: Nebojsa Medojevic, a Disaster and Crisis Preparedness expert, provided a specific intervention on the EU and global solidarity and resilience perspective, highlighting the role of NGOs and active citizens.
- Expert-Led Methodology: Utilizing Global Citizenship Education (GCE) standards, NGO moderators led participants through structured “World Café” discussions. These sessions required citizens to validate these principles as a “moral compass” for future legislation.
Building on these discussions, the panel generated a set of concrete recommendations aimed at different levels of governance. To read all the recommendations collected throughout Europe during Local and Transnational Citizens’ Panels, click here.
The EU for Global project is funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or CERV. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
