Since its launch in October 2025, the BRIDGE project has entered an intense and productive research phase, with numerous activities coordinated by VSE country teams in the two participating Member States—Lithuania and Latvia—and supported by the VSE Brussels-based team.
BRIDGE aims to strengthen national victim support frameworks by fostering the robust multi-agency cooperation needed to make them effective in practice. For this reason, stakeholder engagement has been a central priority from the outset. As part of this work, the first sessions of the National Supervisory Boards (NSB) took place in Lithuania and Latvia, respectively, on the 5th and 7th of May 2026.
The National Supervisory Boards will play a key role in BRIDGE, providing strategic guidance and quality oversight to help ensure that the project’s activities and outputs remain relevant, credible, and aligned with national priorities and stakeholder needs. The two bodies are composed of representatives from the national institutions, including the Ministries of Health, Interior/Internal Affairs, Justice, and Social Security/Welfare/Labour, as well as representatives from civil society, namely non-governmental organisations working on victim support in both countries. These representatives bring together a diverse range of stakeholders and expertise to ensure balanced perspectives, cross-sector cooperation, and strong national relevance throughout project implementation.
During the two meetings, the BRIDGE country teams presented the main activities conducted since the project's launch, as well as preliminary results from the first research activities. Over the past few months, the country teams have been mapping the support services available in Latvia and Lithuania and started engaging with different stakeholders, including municipalities, NGOs, Ministries and experts, in order to identify the system's main needs and gaps.
In Lithuania, two surveys have already been administered to municipalities as well as NGOs and other victim support organisations. While the results are still preliminary, the response rate and engagement have been extremely positive, making it possible to map victim support needs and practices across the country. The team has also begun interviewing national experts and key stakeholders, adding further depth to the research and helping to build a more comprehensive understanding of national victim support needs, gaps, and practices.
In Latvia, the research process is advancing through the development of three targeted surveys for NGOs and victim support organisations, municipalities, and Orphans’ and Custody Courts. This multi-layered approach will help capture perspectives from across the victim support system and provide a stronger evidence base for the national assessment. Interviews with national experts have already been conducted, further enriching the analysis, while interviews with key stakeholders will follow to broaden and deepen the understanding of the Latvian context.
The NSB meetings also included a guided discussion component, during which members provided valuable feedback on the main gaps and priorities for strengthening support systems in the two countries. These exchanges have been particularly fruitful, as receiving in-depth analysis from stakeholders operating within the national contexts is crucial to the project’s success.
On 25th May 2026, the first meeting of the International Executive will also take place online.
To stay up to date with BRIDGE progress, follow our series of social media posts and the dedicated BRIDGE webpage.
