Integrating Climate Change Adaptation, Disaster Risk Reduction, and Civil Protection for Sustainable Development: A Comparative Analysis of Central European Strategies

Climate change is intensifying natural hazards across Central Europe, increasing pressure on national systems of climate change adaptation (CCA), disaster risk reduction (DRR), and civil protection. Although international and European policy frameworks promote coherence among these domains, their practical integration remains uneven. This study presents a comparative governance analysis of five Central European countries (Slovakia, Czechia, Hungary, Poland, and Austria), examining how CCA, DRR, and civil protection are integrated across strategic, institutional, operational, and financial dimensions. A structured qualitative assessment of national strategies, legal acts, and institutional arrangements was conducted using a standardized indicator-based framework. The results reveal systematic cross-dimensional asymmetries. Strategic alignment between CCA and DRR is relatively advanced across all countries, largely driven by international and EU policy frameworks. However, institutional coordination mechanisms, operational integration of climate risk information into preparedness planning, and dedicated financing for prevention and adaptation remain weak or fragmented in most cases. Civil protection systems continue to be predominantly response-oriented, with limited linkage to long-term climate risk governance. Based on these patterns, the study identifies distinct national integration typologies and highlights key governance gaps constraining sustainable climate risk management. The findings underline that effective integration depends not only on strategic commitments but on reinforcing linkages across institutions, operational practice, and financing. The study concludes by identifying concrete governance adjustments needed to strengthen cross-sectoral coordination, climate-informed preparedness, and stable financing mechanisms for resilience-building in Central Europe.