Local and regional authorities stress urgent need for “culture of resilience and civil preparedness”

The Forum adopted Opinions on the EU Preparedness Union Strategy and on the planned simplification of the General Data Protection Regulation. Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, Board Member of the Icelandic Association of Local Authorities, chaired the meeting. 

Push to include local and regional level in EU Preparedness Union Strategy 

A key topic of the meeting was the EU Preparedness Union Strategy, which aims to enhance Europe’s capacity to prevent and respond to emerging threats. One of the cornerstones of the strategy is to involve all levels of government and all parts of society in ensuring civil preparedness.

“We welcome the bottom-up approach of the strategy and the importance the EU is placing on municipalities and regions”, said Tom Georg Indrevik, rapporteur of the Opinion on the Preparedness Union Strategy and Mayor of Øygarden municipality in Norway. “As the democratic level closest to the people, municipalities and regions are in an excellent position to bring together citizens, local communities, businesses, civil society and social partners, and hence ensure the inclusion of all parts of society.” 

In its Opinion, the Forum highlights the urgency of building “a common culture of resilience and civil preparedness” in all municipalities and regions across the EU and EEA EFTA States. “Iceland and Norway have long experience with civil preparedness at local level, which can be shared with EU Member States, and vice versa”, said Mr Indrevik. “Learning from each other is crucial when further developing the strategy.”

The Opinion of the EEA EFTA Forum on the EU Preparedness Union Strategy is available here.

An ambitious future GDPR revision with strong municipal involvement

The EEA EFTA Forum also discussed the EU’s plans to simplify the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). As the GDPR extends across all areas where public authorities handle personal data, any revision of the regulation is of major importance to local and regional authorities. A first proposal for its simplification was published on 21 May 2025 and would reduce reporting requirements for organisations with fewer than 750 employees, among others.

“We welcome the EU’s current efforts to cut red tape, reduce costs and modernise its rules. Future simplification of the GDPR will, however, need to be far more ambitious than the limited proposal of 21 May and include the active involvement of the municipal sector”, said Anton Kári Halldórsson, rapporteur of the Opinion on the future GDPR revision and President of the Association of Municipalities in South-Iceland. “It is essential that the municipal sector is included here”, he concluded. 

The Opinion of the EEA EFTA Forum on the GDPR revision is available here.

Background

The EEA EFTA Forum is an advisory body established in 2009 following a decision of the EFTA Standing Committee. It is composed of elected representatives from local and regional authorities in Iceland and Norway, with Swiss representatives participating as observers. This informal body plays a crucial role in discussing and advising on EEA-related issues. Iceland is the current Chair of the Forum.