Finland’s Civil Preparedness: Do Not Copy Sisu

What Poland and other CEE countries can learn from Finland's civil resilience framework

8 July 2026

Marta Dermańska

Resilient Futures Fellow

The Nordic model of ‘total defence’ is hard to replicate in full. Yet it can still serve as a blueprint for building whole-of-society strategies.

When we look for countries where social resilience, readiness and the commitment of the whole society to respond in a crisis, the so-called ‘total defence’, Finland always comes to mind.

The Finnish total defence model involves engaging the entire population and all sectors of society in responding to a crisis or defending the country: administration, services, private entities, NGOs and society at large. This model is based on deep cooperation between everyone, in which each party knows its place and responsibilities when the situation calls for it.

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Marta Dermańska

Resilient Futures Fellow

Marta Dermańska is a Resilient Futures Fellow 2026 at Visegrad Insight. She is an expert in civil society development and social activism. She has many years of experience working in local government and cooperating with social organisations. Marta is involved in the creation and implementation of innovative social activities based on cross-sectoral cooperation, including those in the field of crisis management and social resilience. She cooperates with institutions and organisations at local, national and international level.

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