It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to the official website of CERU – the European Centre for Urban Risks.

Established in 1999 under the Council of Europe’s EUR-OPA Open Partial Agreement, CERU’s mission is to support local authorities in the assessment, prevention and mitigation of urban risks through the production and sharing of technical and scientific knowledge.

In a context marked by increasingly complex and interconnected risks, the importance of anticipating threats, building the capacity of local authorities and adopting integrated approaches to risk management is reinforced.

CERU believes that the technical capacity-building of local authorities and institutional cooperation, at national and European level, are essential pillars for a more effective and sustainable response to urban risks. To this end, we actively promote:

The strengthening of municipalities’ technical autonomy and capacity for informed decision-making;

Participation in, support for and dissemination of research projects in the field of risks;

The sharing of best practices and experiences, both national and international, in the field of risk mitigation;

The development of training courses, workshops and seminars aimed at technical staff, decision-makers and the wider community;

The consolidation of a genuine culture of prevention, resilience and territorial safety.

We invite you to explore this space, learn more about our work and join us in building safer, better-prepared and more resilient communities.

Mónica Amaral Ferreira, Chair of the CERU Board