People in Europe should stockpile three days’ worth of food, water and other essentials in case of a crisis, the EU has said.
Cyberattacks, climate change, and disease are increasing the chances of an emergency, and the 450 million people living in the 27-nation bloc need to be ready, its preparedness and crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib said.
As she announced a new strategy for dealing with future disasters on Wednesday, Ms Lahbib said the threats currently facing Europeans “are more complex than ever, and they are all interconnected”.
She said it was important to “make sure people have essential supplies for at least 72 hours in a crisis”.
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Food, water, torches, ID papers, medicine, and shortwave radios were among the items she said citizens should stock.
Similarly, she said the EU itself should build up a “strategic reserve” and stockpile other critical resources, including firefighting planes, medical, energy, and transport equipment, as well as specialised assets against chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats.
“We can no longer rely on ad hoc reactions,” Ms Lahbib warned.
The warning comes as the EU rethinks its defence and security, especially after the Trump administration warned that Europe must take more responsibility for it.
In recent years, the union has weathered COVID-19 and the threat from Russia, including its attempts to exploit Europe’s dependence on its natural gas to weaken support for Ukraine.
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NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte has warned that Russia could be capable of launching another attack in Europe by 2030.
France, Finland and Sweden have already announced similar plans, with Sweden last year updating its Cold War-era civil emergency advice “to better reflect today’s security policy reality”.
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It included advice on what to do in case of nuclear attack.
Not all countries have the same level of crisis preparedness, and the EU Commission also wants to encourage them to coordinate better in case of an emergency.
