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The Commission announced recently the Preparedness Union Strategy for the EU states to prevent and react to emerging threats and crises. The plan is a response to the ongoing poly-crisis the EU faces; hence, the strategy focuses on an integrated all-hazards approach, a whole-of-government approach, which brings together all relevant actors, across all governance’s levels and a whole-of-society approach, bringing together citizens, local communities and civil society, businesses and social partners as well as the scientific and academic communities.
Background
The Commission has launched the so-called “preparedness strategy” to support the EU member states and enhance the European-wide capability to prevent and respond to emerging threats.
The EU is facing increasingly complex crises and challenges: from growing geopolitical tensions and conflicts, hybrid and cybersecurity threats, foreign information manipulation and interference, to climate change and increasing natural disasters. Hence the EU and the states heave to be ready to protect its citizens and the key societal functions that are crucial for democracy and daily life.
Concretely, the strategy includes 30 key actions and a detailed Action Plan (more on that below) to advance the Preparedness Union’s objectives, as well as developing the so-called “preparedness by design culture” across all EU policies.
General reference and source: https://civil-protection-humanitarian-aid.ec.europa.eu/news-stories/news/eu-preparedness-union-strategy-prevent-and-react-emerging-threats-and-crises-2025-03-26_en?mc_cid=541463117a&mc_eid=97603c39a6
The Commission’s plan “made headlines” across all states in the continent, particularly including several urgent measures in the 30-point plan that asks European households to stockpile critical equipment and supplies for at least 72 hours. It seems that the member states should start searching for real estate near nuclear bunkers? It seems like a distant luxury when most young people in Europe can barely afford to live on their own.
As experts acknowledged, the main reasons are the challenges of natural disasters, climate change and digitalization (with AI) through which the social cohesion would play a central role and present a focal pillar in the future of European security.
Thus, according to the World Economic Forum’s 2025 report, the top four long-term global risks are all environmental in nature. This urgency is further reinforced by the World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Global Climate 2024 report published recently, which delivers a clear message: European security extends far beyond defence. The WMO’s report main messages are: = key climate change indicators again reach record levels; = long-term warming (averaged over decades) remains below 1.5°C; = sea-level rise and ocean warming irreversible for hundreds of years; = record greenhouse gas concentrations combined with El Niño and other factors to drive 2024 record heat; and = early warnings and climate services are vital to protect communities and economies.
Source: https://wmo.int/publication-series/state-of-global-climate-2024
Key strategy’s objectives and actions
1. Protecting Europe’s Essential Societal Functions: = developing minimum preparedness criteria for essential services such as hospitals, schools, transport, and telecommunications’ = enhancing the stockpiling of critical equipment and materials; and = enhancing climate adaptation and availability of critical natural resources such as water.
2. Promoting Population Preparedness: = encouraging the public to adopt practical measures, such as maintaining essential supplies for a minimum of 72 hours in emergencies’ = integrating preparedness lessons into school curricula and introduce an EU Preparedness Day.
3. Enhancing Crisis Response Coordination: = establishing an EU Crisis Hub to improve integration among existing EU crisis structures.
4. Strengthening Civil-Military Cooperation: = conducting regular EU-wide preparedness exercises, uniting armed forces, civil protection, police, security, healthcare workers, and firefighters; = facilitating dual-use investments.
5. Bolstering Foresight and Anticipation Capabilities: = developing a comprehensive risk and threat assessment at EU level, helping prevent crises such as natural disasters or hybrid threats.
6. Increasing Public-Private Cooperation: = creating a public-private Preparedness Taskforce; = formulating emergency protocols with businesses to ensure rapid availability of essential materials, goods, and services, and secure critical production lines.
7. Enhancing Cooperation with External Partners: = working with strategic partners like NATO on military mobility, climate and security, emerging technologies, cyber, space, and the defence industry; and = in overall, taking a proactive approach to preparedness, as the EU aims to build a more resilient and secure continent, better equipped to face the challenges of the 21st century.
More information in the following Commission’s web-links: = Joint Communication on Preparedness Union Strategy; and = Annex of the Joint Communication on Preparedness Union Strategy.