Crisis management across borders: Interior Minister working for protection!

Crisis management across borders: Interior Minister working for protection!

On July 4, 2025, Thuringia's Interior Minister Georg Maier and Saxony-Anhalt's Interior Minister Dr. Tamara Zieschang at the Rudelsburg near Bad Kösen. The occasion was the cross-border exchange as part of Maier's “Respect the Rescuers” tour. The focus here was on topics such as civil protection and disaster preparedness, particularly the current situation surrounding forest fires. Christiane Schmidt-Rose, the district administrator of the Weimar region, as well as Johann Waschnewski and Götz Ulrich, the district administrators of their respective districts, also took part in this important meeting. Burgenland district reported that everyone involved emphasized the need for disaster protection not to stop at national borders.

This idea is further underlined by the current challenges, as discussed in the latest issue of the Civil Protection magazine of the Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK). BBK highlights that climate change has a significant impact on the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, which is reflected, among other things, in increased forest and vegetation fires. In general, the federal and state governments are focusing on adequate equipment and training in order to address change.

Together for better civil protection

As part of the tour of the Rudelsburg, the importance of close, reliable cooperation between the districts and states was emphasized. Götz Ulrich made it clear that functioning cooperation is essential, especially for civil protection. “Fire, water and crisis situations do not stop at district borders,” said the district administrator. Thanks to the already good cooperation between the districts of the Burgenland district, as well as Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt, we are optimistic about the current challenges.

The European Environment Agency warns of the drastic effects of climate change, which are also noticeable in our region. European Parliament reports that 2023 is expected to be the warmest year in more than 100,000 years, further increasing the likelihood of extreme weather events. The consequences of this are, for example, the massive forest fires that caused enormous damage in southern Europe in 2022 and 2023 and destroyed forests across the board.

The way to deal with natural disasters

In view of the enormous economic losses resulting from natural disasters such as the dramatic floods in Germany and neighboring countries, the need for action is clear: measures to improve civil protection are definitely on the agenda. The reports from BBK and the European Environment Agency make it clear that we must pull together in order to better meet the challenges of the future. These include adapted training programs, better equipment for emergency services and international cooperation in the area of ​​disaster control.