RA VI Working Group on Services and Applications- August 2025 Meeting - Highlights
The RA VI Working Group on Services and Applications came together online on 27–28 August 2025 to review progress, coordinate efforts, and update its Action Plan for 2025–2026.
Over two productive sessions, participants reflected on achievements across thematic areas and planned the next steps for the Group’s activities.
A major development was the announcement by Chair Stefan Rösner that he will step back from his role. In response, the Group agreed to introduce two Vice-Chair positions, one focusing on climate-related services and the other on real-time and hydrological services, to ensure strong coordination and continuity.
The Group also welcomed new contributors: Laura Lukassen (DWD, Germany), the newly appointed RA VI RCC Network Coordinator as the Liaison to RCC, who will represent RCC activities at upcoming coordination meetings, and Helge Tangen (MetOffice, Norway), who will bring Arctic perspectives from the Arctic RCC and Arctic RCOF to support regional hydrological and climate service planning.
To strengthen follow-up and consistency, the Group decided to hold quarterly 2-hour meetings and adopt a standardized agenda for all future sessions. A new progress tracking format was introduced, allowing members to monitor tasks clearly and share updates in a structured way. The next meeting is planned for 26 November 2025.
Looking ahead, the Group aligned its work with key upcoming milestones, including the Extraordinary Congress in October 2025 and SERCOM-4 in Spring 2026. Some initiatives, such as space weather services, the governance of the Global Greenhouse Gas Watch (G3W), and Early Warning Services under EW4All, are awaiting guidance from the Congress. In the meantime, interim activities—like assessing regional user needs—will continue.
The meeting closed with sincere appreciation for Stefan Rösner’s leadership, expertise, and long-standing contributions to the Group and WMO activities. Participants celebrated his achievements and welcomed the new structure, noting that with the introduction of Vice-Chairs and the engagement of new contributors, the Group is well-prepared to continue delivering coordinated, impactful services for the RA VI region.
The Group is now seeking volunteers from the RA VI community to fill the positions of Chair and the two Vice-Chairs. The Secretariat will use the WMO Experts Database to review potential candidates. Interested members are encouraged to come forward and contribute to shaping the future of RA VI services and applications, helping ensure strong coordination and impactful regional activities.