People across Europe are being advised to prepare for potential crises by stockpiling 72 hours’ worth of essential supplies like food and water.
The European Commission has published its first preparedness strategy to better protect citizens in the event of a conflict, cyberattack, or natural disaster, in the face of “increasingly complex crises and challenges that cannot be ignored.”
It is urging the nearly 450 million people who live in the European Union to “adopt practical measures, such as maintaining essential supplies.”
Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, said: “New realities require a new level of preparedness in Europe.
“Our citizens, our Member States, and our businesses need the right tools to act both to prevent crises and to react swiftly when a disaster hits.”
The 27-nation bloc has released a list of 30 actions and objectives to “enhance Europe’s capability to prevent and respond to emerging threats.”
The strategy focuses on improving early warning systems, securing essential services such as healthcare and drinking water, and helping people better prepare for responding to crises.
Hadja Lahbib, the European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, warned that: “Today’s threats are fast, complex, and interconnected; our response must be more proactive, more integrated, and more coordinated.”
“Ready for anything – this must be our new European way of life,” she also said in a post on X.
The post included a video in which Lahbib presents her emergency bag, including food, water, a flashlight, ID papers, a phone charger, a swiss army knife, medicine, and a radio.
The European Commission has also called for schools to include preparedness lessons, and for a EU-wide “Preparedness Day” to raise awareness.
In addition, the commission wants a focus on the stockpiling of critical equipment and materials, and will start conducting “regular EU-wide preparedness exercises” involving armed forces, civil protection, police, security, healthcare workers, and firefighters.
The EU does not have any powers over civilian or military services. During the pandemic, it saw its role in responding to crises grow, with the commission purchasing billions of vaccines for member states.
But a report last year by Finland’s former President Sauli Niinistö found that the EU had “no clear plan on what to do in the event of armed aggression against a Member State”.
Nïïnistö, now a special adviser to von der Leyen, said the EU was better prepared to deal with crises and disasters than before the pandemic, but that “in the face of a more dangerous world”, the union needed a shift in mindset on its preparedness and readiness for crises.
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