EU crisis preparedness: Bulking up states' disaster response

Do you have enough supplies stored to get you through the first 72 hours of a nationwide emergency? Food, water, cash, medicine, ID documents, a flashlight and a radio that can receive shortwave frequencies are just some of the items that should be on a survival-kit checklist, according to the European Union.

On Wednesday the bloc told national governments to roll out measures to ensure citizens and services like schools and hospitals are better prepared to deal with possible future crises, ranging anywhere from wildfires to industrial accidents, or even armed conflict.

The new strategy comes after EU-commissioned research last year pointed to gaps in countries' disaster response plans and a fragmented approach across the bloc. Brussels now aims to harmonize protocols and spur on more actions in member states.

"You need to know how to act — how to react — if the power goes off, if there's an earthquake, if there is a massive flood, or there's any type of threat. How do you protect yourself? What resources do you need? How do you yourself take responsibility?" Roxana Minzatu, EU commissioner for preparedness, told reporters in Brussels.

"It's about us exiting a reactive, responsive mindset towards potential risks and hazards and entering into an approach, into a mindset, that is about forecasting, about anticipating risks, about prevention," she said.

What does the EU's preparedness plan involve?

The plan laid out by the EU's executive arm on Wednesday suggests national authorities introduce or beef up alert systems, adapt school curricula and roll out training programs to keep citizens in the know on the risks they face.

The bloc also plans to open a new centralized "crisis coordination hub" and boost existing shared EU stockpiles of goods like vaccines, transport equipment, and critical gear to counter chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats.

EU-wide training drills to increase civil and military cooperation are also on the European Commission's list of proposals, as well as plans to develop minimum preparedness checklists for essential services like schools, transport, and telecomunication.

Many of the measures suggested remain in national governments' hands, meaning it's up to EU capitals whether they take Brussels up on its recommendations.

Some states more ready than others

The EU's executive says preparedness will mean different things in different countries. Wildfires are more common in Spain and Greece, for example, while earthquakes are more likely to occur in Romania and Bulgaria.

Germany has released a 68-page document detailing what civilians should do in case of floods, fires or nuclear emergencies, including recommendations to stockpile 10 days' worth of food and other essential supplies.

"It's up to member states to define the message based on the position they're in," EU Crisis Management Commissioner Hadja Lahbib said on Wednesday.

But an EU official speaking ahead of the announcement acknowledged that readiness to deal with disasters varies widely across the bloc.

Finland, which shares a border with Russia spanning more than 1,300 kilometers (808 miles), is often seen as the EU's model student in terms of emergency preparedness.

The country has maintained underground shelters in case of bombing or nuclear threats, and a national emergency supply agency dedicated to securing critical goods in case of crisis.

"This has been quite well ingrained in the minds of Finnish citizens," Emma Hakala, a researcher based at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, told DW.

"We're not quite as well prepared for environmental risks as we think we are. But overall, I think that the mood is still quite good with regard to this in Finland."

Risks on the rise

An EU official said Wednesday that threats to the EU and its security are rising, with geopolitical tensions in the bloc's neighborhood — such as Russia's war in Ukraine — having brought security to the forefront of a rising number of citizens' minds.

"I wouldn't say that we have an acute threat of a military attack, but of course, we consider Russia to be much more of a concrete threat than we used to," researcher Hakala said.

"Most countries actually in Europe nowadays also recognize climate risks," the expert added. "That's because they have been significant with all kinds of flooding and torrential rain and storms around Europe."

Hakala also pointed out that so-called hybrid threats, such as cyberattacks on hospitals, which can paralyze public health infrastructure, are also becoming "more recognized and more concrete."

Prepare, don't panic

The EU's Hadja Lahbib pushed back on accusations the bloc was spreading unnecessary fear on Wednesday.

"Being aware of risks and preparing for them is the opposite of creating panic and irrational actions like we may have seen during the [COVID-19] pandemic. Don't forget, we saw people thronging into the shops buying toilet paper. Was that really going to protect them from a pandemic? No. Being prepared is knowing what may happen and being prepared for it," she said.

But Hakala admitted that striking a balance between fostering greater understanding and keeping cool heads was not always easy.

"You need citizens to be aware of potential threats and to prepare for them," she said. "But at the same time, it's not good if you become overly scared of everything. Especially nowadays, when you have so much potential for disinformation in social media."

She also warned against jumping to conclusions that incidents like fires or tech outages may be linked to sabotage. 

"It might actually just be like an accident or just something normal happening," she said, adding that a "sense of crisis" is "not necessarily good for society."

Edited by: Maren Sass