People in the EU are being advised to stockpile enough food, water and essentials for 72 hours as part of a European strategy that aims to increase readiness for catastrophic floods and fires, pandemics and military attacks.
Outlining its first preparedness strategy, the European Commission said it wanted to encourage citizens to take “proactive measures to prepare for crises, such as developing household emergency plans and stockpiling essential supplies.”
The strategy was partly inspired by plans in Germany and the Nordic countries, which have distributed public information pamphlets and devised apps advising people what to do in the event of a military attack or other national crisis.
Photo: AFP
“We are saying to member states: 72 hours of self-sufficiency is what we recommend,” European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib told reporters.
Asked about what citizens should stockpile, she referred to a video on her social media, in which she presents an emergency bag.
To a soundtrack of off-key jazz piano, Lahbib is shown on the video discussing her emergency stockpile in a tongue-in-cheek way, including ID documents in waterproof casing, canned food, bottled water, matches, a Swiss army knife, cash, playing cards, medicines and a small radio.
Photo: Reuters
The strategy was devised to ensure better EU coordination and public awareness in response to a range of potential risks, such as extreme weather exacerbated by the climate crisis, pandemics, cyber-attacks and military invasions.
“We must prepare for large-scale, cross-sectoral incidents and crises, including the possibility of armed aggression, affecting one or more member states,” the document said.
The commission is also calling for a Europe-wide preparedness day to raise awareness; for the topic to be put on school curriculums; and for an EU “stockpiling strategy” to ensure adequate supplies of raw materials, shelters, generators, and “potentially” food and water.
While the EU has no powers over civilian or military uniformed services, it has carved out a bigger role in crisis response since the COVID-19 pandemic led to the unprecedented common purchases of vaccines and medical equipment.
Now it wants to go further after a report from former Finnish president Sauli Niinisto last year found that there was no “clear plan” on what the EU would do “in the event of armed aggression against a member state.”
Niinisto, a special adviser to the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, said the EU was better prepared to deal with crises and disasters than five years ago, but needed a change of mindset and more planning to anticipate crises.
The plans are likely to provoke a mixed response from EU member states, who perceive threats in different ways. Last week, the European Commission rebranded its military spending plans “Readiness 2030,” instead of “Rearm Europe,” after complaints from the leaders of Italy and Spain, who said the language risked alienating people.
In contrast, northern European countries have led the way in emergency planning. Swedish authorities recommend keeping at home a good supply of water, energy-rich food, blankets and alternative heating, as well as investing in a battery-powered radio.
Norway advises people to stock up on nonessential medicines, including iodine tablets in the case of a nuclear incident.
German households have been urged to adapt their own cellars, garages or storerooms for use as bunkers, while housebuilders would be legally obliged to include safe shelters in new homes — as Poland has already done.
Responding to accusations of scaremongering, European Commission Executive Vice President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness Roxana Minzatu said the dividend of peace had given people a sense “it’s not going to happen to us,” despite seeing disastrous wildfires in Greece and floods in Spain.
The Belgian commissioner said that in Finland young people were taught how to handle a weapon, “but I don’t think that’s the kind of thing you’d have here in Belgium or France, not immediately, at any rate. It differs from one country to another, but we can learn from each other.”
The strategy was published the day after the Danish Ministry of Defense announced it was bringing forward plans to introduce military service for women by two years.
Women who turn 18 after July 1 could be required to take part in an annual ballot from next year to determine if they must perform mandatory military service, something which is already required of men.
Four people jailed in the landmark Hong Kong national security trial of "47 democrats" accused of conspiracy to commit subversion were freed today after more than four years behind bars, the second group to be released in a month. Among those freed was long-time political and LGBTQ activist Jimmy Sham (岑子杰), who also led one of Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy groups, the Civil Human Rights Front, which disbanded in 2021. "Let me spend some time with my family," Sham said after arriving at his home in the Kowloon district of Jordan. "I don’t know how to plan ahead because, to me, it feels
The collapse of the Swiss Birch glacier serves as a chilling warning of the escalating dangers faced by communities worldwide living under the shadow of fragile ice, particularly in Asia, experts said. Footage of the collapse on Wednesday showed a huge cloud of ice and rubble hurtling down the mountainside into the hamlet of Blatten. Swiss Development Cooperation disaster risk reduction adviser Ali Neumann said that while the role of climate change in the case of Blatten “still needs to be investigated,” the wider impacts were clear on the cryosphere — the part of the world covered by frozen water. “Climate change and
Poland is set to hold a presidential runoff election today between two candidates offering starkly different visions for the country’s future. The winner would succeed Polish President Andrzej Duda, a conservative who is finishing his second and final term. The outcome would determine whether Poland embraces a nationalist populist trajectory or pivots more fully toward liberal, pro-European policies. An exit poll by Ipsos would be released when polls close today at 9pm local time, with a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points. Final results are expected tomorrow. Whoever wins can be expected to either help or hinder the
DENIAL: Musk said that the ‘New York Times was lying their ass off,’ after it reported he used so much drugs that he developed bladder problems Elon Musk on Saturday denied a report that he used ketamine and other drugs extensively last year on the US presidential campaign trail. The New York Times on Friday reported that the billionaire adviser to US President Donald Trump used so much ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, that he developed bladder problems. The newspaper said the world’s richest person also took ecstasy and mushrooms, and traveled with a pill box last year, adding that it was not known whether Musk also took drugs while heading the so-called US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) after Trump took power in January. In a
RSS