15 March 2024
Dear FEVR members, friends and colleagues,
A few months of silence in terms of news, but a great deal of work behind the scenes—primarily focused on finalising FEVR’s legal and financial registration, establishing our new address and securing hosting by our partner organisation ETSC in Brussels. Significant efforts have also gone into preparing for FEVR’s participation in the Moroccan Ministerial Conference, compiling the annual report, and shaping our vision, mission, and strategy for the future. Meanwhile, many valuable discussions have taken place among our members, among board members and the Board has been re-energised and more engaged than ever.
Despite certain organisational and financial challenges, we have overcome many obstacles through our personal dedication, financial commitment, and voluntary efforts, proving that FEVR is alive and thriving. We have demonstrated that we can rebuild the organisation on a solid foundation while enriching its programmes and initiatives. Each Board member has taken on their responsibilities and mission with great commitment, and the results are already visible.
Our aim is to share insights and knowledge about the many programmes and projects you implement at the national level, exchange experiences, showcase examples of good practice, and encourage one another towards partnership collaboration. Such cooperation would enable us to develop joint projects for EU funding applications or secure shared sponsorships and partnerships. Across Europe, numerous initiatives led by like-minded organisations—some of which are not yet FEVR members—deserve our full support. I therefore urge all of you to actively engage in and support the excellent Alive campaign (more information below).
Given FEVR’s temporary financial challenges, the Board has decided to hold this year’s General Assembly in a hybrid format in May (further details will follow). However, we all value the opportunity for in-person meetings, knowledge exchange, and networking. Therefore, we propose organizing an in-person gathering in September, coinciding with the anticipated opening of the House for Road Traffic Victims in Ljubljana, Slovenia. We will be delighted to have you join us.
Sincerely,
Robert Štaba
FEVR President
FEVR NEWS
NGO Registration
FEVR with the new board is officially registered as an NGO within the EU.
New FEVR Address
We have secured a new address for FEVR at the ETSC headquarters:
Avenue des Celtes 20
B-1040 Brussels
Belgium
Contact information:
Website: www.fevr.ngo
Email: info@fevr.ngo
FEVR social networks:
WDoR social networks:
BOARD NEWS
Contact us:
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Robert Štaba, President
Contact: president@fevr.ngo
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Wulf Hoffman, Treasurer and Vice President - Area of responsibility: Law, Finance, Fundraising
Contact: wulf.hoffman@fevr.ngo
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Katarzyna Dobrzanska-Junco, Vice President - Area of responsibility: Advocacy, FEVR members, WDoR project, International cooperation and activities
Contact: katarzyna.dobrzanska@fevr.ngo
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Tsampika-Rafaela Moustaka - Area of responsibility: FEVR Youth, Prevention and Campaigns
Contact: tsampika.moustaka@fevr.ngo
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David Frost - Area of responsibility: Communication and PR,Victim Support, Fundraising
Contact: david.frost@fevr.ngo
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Montse Montal Gibert - Area of responsibility: Strategy Development and Planning, Administration and Management
Contact: montse.montal@fevr.ngo
More information about the board members can be found here.
Board activities August 2024 - March 2025:
MEMBERS TO MEMBERS
In this section, we aim to showcase examples of best practices. These can include projects being implemented within your organizations, projects carried out in collaboration with other FEVR members or organizations, or projects that can be jointly submitted for various international and other funding opportunities.
Film festival awards to Ireland and Poland
We are proud to announce that two powerful videos received awards at the Global Road Safety Film Festival in Marrakech!
- IRVP-World Day of Remembrance video from Ireland
- Educational video Safe Senior from Poland
P(A)T and Zavod Varna pot at the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Morocco
A productive meeting took place between Zavod Varna pot from Slovenia (Robert Štaba, president and Kaja Kobal, programme manager) and P(A)T from Spain (Vincente Sánchez Gonzalez and Yolanda Domenech) to reflect on past collaboration and discuss future joint initiatives. The Erasmus+ youth projects Slow City and Slow City GAME, jointly led by Zavod Varna pot and P(A)T, serve as a good practice example for other FEVR members.
We encourage collaboration between members and look forward to future possibilities of cooperation in various EU initiatives.
Zavod Varna pot (Safe Journey Institute) - Safe Mobility Park
As a home for road traffic victims, it will provide comprehensive psychosocial support, rehabilitation, and reintegration programmes, addressing the specific needs of individuals affected by the consequences of road crashes. By offering a structured and holistic approach, the centre will play a crucial role in empowering victims, raising awareness, and fostering a culture of safer mobility.
The official opening of the Safe Mobility Park is foreseen for September 2025.
Erasmus+ project application
Zavod Varna Pot successfully completed the NEAR project in 2024, in collaboration with partners from Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia, focusing on road traffic victims among young people. In March, we included FEVR as a content and financial partner for the next phase of the project and submitted an application for the Erasmus+ program. The results will be known by autumn.
INTERNATIONAL ACTIVITIES
- Meeting of the UNRSC advocacy working group
FEVR is an active member of the group. On August 28th, EVR representative and Vice-President Katarzyna Dobrzanska-Junco assisted the working group, which main objectives were arrangements on 4th Global Ministerial Conference onRoad Safety, World Day of Remembrance 2024 as well as 8th UN Global RoadSafety Week 2025.
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- UN Global Forum for Road Traffic Safety, Geneva
Since last few years FEVR representative and Vice-President Katarzyna Dobrzanska-Junco regularly assists UNECE Global Forum for Road Traffic Safety which takes place in Geneva, United Nations. This time, 23rd and 24th of September 2024, FEVR representative had opportunity to share information, update and present proposal for the World Day of Remebrance stressing the importance of the commemorations worldwide, cooperation, inviting all present governnments and organizations to commemorate together and REMEMBER the roadcrash victims, as well as SUPPORT those who survived. And ACT, focusing onprevention and post-crash care improvement.
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ETSC PIN talks and ETSC Main Council
FEVR Vice-President Wulf Hoffmann participated in two PIN Talks focused on improving road safety for vulnerable road users on 11th and 19th of September.
In Riga, Latvia, discussions centered on speed management and protecting at-risk road users. And later, he participated at a panel discussion at a PIN Talk in Ljubljana, Slovenia.
During his visit to Slovenia, Wulf Hoffmann met with FEVR President Robert Štaba, and together they paid tribute to road traffic victims at the central memorial in Ljubljana.
Additionally, on 21-22 October 2024, Wulf Hoffmann attended the ETSC Main Council meeting in Bologna.
- Advocating for Road Traffic Victims and Vision Zero
The National Conference on Child Safety of Passengers took place in Novi Sad, Serbia, focusing on its connection to Vision Zero. The event brought together state bodies, organizations, and NGOs to discuss road safety initiatives. Organizers highlighted the We Live Vision Zero program in FEVR and Slovenia as a model of good practice. FEVR President Robert Štaba delivered the keynote lecture on We Live Vision Zero.
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UN Road Safety Collaboration Meeting in Geneva
A meeting of the ETSC and representatives of the European countries participating in the European Commission's EURSE+ programme was held in Krakow, Poland.
On 5 December, the Malopolska Regional Road Safety Council hosted representatives from Denmark, Belgium, the European Transport Safety Council ETSC and representatives of the National BRD Council in Krakow. FEVR Vice-President Katarzyna Dobrzanska-Junco was among the organizers, actively contributing to the discussions and coordination of the event.
During the meetings the exhibition "THAT DAY" of World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims was presented.
- 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Morocco
FEVR has been actively engaged in the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Morocco (18-20 February), where we collaborated with other road traffic victim representatives from IRVP and FICVI to present a joint Manifesto Global Voice of Road Traffic Victims and successfully advocate for the inclusion of victims in the final Marrakech Declaration. We are proud that two of our member organizations received awards at the Film Festival for their impactful and educational videos. FEVR also contributed to key discussions on post-crash response, victim rights, and road safety policies. Our participation reinforced the importance of collaboration, advocacy, and action in achieving safer roads for all.
VOICE OF ROAD VICTIMS
Among us are exceptional individuals and numerous life stories that can offer us lessons, reflections, encouragement, and inspiration. This section is dedicated to you. Please send us your stories.
WDoR2024
We are incredibly proud of all the stories we have shared together as part of the WDoR2024 campaign "That Day". Each testimony and poster serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of road safety and the lasting impact of road crashes.
On the occasion of WDoR2024, the Varna Pot Ambassador Sonja Mikulan publicly spoke out and shared her tragic story of That Day in the media and on social networks:
That day, Nik played with his little toy car for the last time, and Mia captured her thoughts in her diary for the last time. Today, both items are precious memories for Sonja of their childhood playfulness, which now lives only in her heart.
Strengthening the Global Voice: Support the Alive Campaign in Paris
We have been invited by our partners at Antoine Alléno Association to participate in the Alive campaign (an action to help those left behind catch their breath), which will take place in Paris this autumn. For one day, the Pont de l’Alma will become a memorial where bereaved loved ones can bear witness, be heard and have their status as victims recognised through 2,912 portraits pasted directly onto the road.
As a European umbrella organization, we find this initiative highly significant, as it aligns with the advocacy philosophy “Global Voice of Road Traffic Victims”, which we represented together with IRVP and FICVI at the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Morocco.
We encourage you to support this campaign in any way you can. FEVR fully endorses the initiative, and the letter from the foundation provides details and instructions on how to get involved.
We sincerely hope that, by working together, we can take another step toward increasing the visibility and recognition of our role and mission in society.
ADVOCACY
What is integrated into the system of one country and is a completely inherent right for all road traffic victims may be merely a silent wish in others, and viceversa. Therefore, the EU sets Directives and guidelines for minimum standards for victims of crime, covering rights in areas such as law, social services, healthcare, compensation, etc. We encourage you to share your activities, efforts, challenges, and dilemmas.
Top European safety groups warn against lowering standards with U.S. vehicle imports
FEVR together with nine prominent European organisations in vehicle safety, consumer protection, and road safety has raised significant concerns about potential risks to vehicle safety standards in Europe. The warning, published in Financial Times (7 March 2025), comes as the EU and US negotiate future trade relations, prioritising a deal on the car sector.
The organisations are raising the alarm at the prospect of the European Union recognising U.S. market vehicles as ‘equivalent’ to those produced to the EU’s own stringent safety regulations. The organisations caution that such a move would undermine the high safety standards that protect European road users, should these vehicles be introduced across the European market.
Strengthening Victims' Rights and Support
FEVR President Robert Štaba, alongside Kaja Kobal, Program Manager of Zavod Varna Pot (Safe Journey Institute), presented an analysis of the implementation of EU Directive 2012/29/EU (establishing minimum standards on the rights, support, and protection of victims of crime) in Slovenia.
The meeting, organized by the Slovenian Ministry of Justice and Minister Andreja Katič, was an important step in highlighting the perspectives and experiences of road traffic victims. The analysis, developed as part of the YOU ARE NOT ALONE project, focuses on victims' rights, support, and protection in road traffic crashes.
This constructive dialogue reaffirmed the shared commitment to strengthening collaboration, improving legislation and procedures, and benefiting citizens in Slovenia and across the EU. Together, we are working toward safer roads and stronger support for victims of road traffic crashes.
