Strengthening Europe's preparedness is a matter of urgency. Europe is facing a new reality characterised by increased risk and deep insecurity. Since the beginning of this decade, the EU has experienced the most serious pandemic in a century, the bloodiest war on European soil since the Second World War and the hottest year on record.
In this context, Sauli Niinistö - former President of the Republic of Finland and Special Adviser to the President of the European Commission - has been tasked by President von der Leyen, together with the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (HR/VP), to produce a report assessing the complex challenges facing the EU and its Member States and making recommendations on how to enhance the EU's civilian and military preparedness and readiness for future crises.
The report highlights the need for a new ambitious approach to our preparedness and readiness. To this end, it makes some 80 recommendations for short, medium and long-term action.
Background materials:
As the geopolitical and security environment changes dramatically, strengthening EU preparedness is urgent. The EU and its Member States face increasingly multidimensional, complex and cross-border threats and crises. Strengthening our preparedness will
- will have a deterrent effect on threat actors.
- reduce residual risks
- will resolve the deep sense of insecurity among citizens.
- will contribute to the basic prerequisites for economic prosperity and competitiveness.
True preparedness will require a more comprehensive and integrated approach. All relevant military and civilian crisis response actors must be fully prepared and able to respond effectively and seamlessly within a broader whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach. A higher level of preparedness is needed in all areas, linking internal and external security and using both civilian and military assets.
Next steps
As reflected in President von der Leyen's policy orientations and letters for the next mandate (2024-2029), the report's conclusions and recommendations will contribute to the work of the incoming Commission by providing guidance for various upcoming initiatives, including the Union's Readiness Strategy and the White Paper on the future of European defence.
Report: Safer together - strengthening Europe's civilian and military preparedness and readiness
The leader of the French Patriots party commented on the report on the X network Florian Philippot:
Absolute madness!
The European Union has just "advised Europeans to build up emergency stocks for at least 72 hours and prepare for war with Russia!
This is called for in the "Report on Europe's Civil and Military Preparedness" by the "Special Adviser to the President of the European Commission"! It has just been published.
It presents Russian aggression as the "main threat"!
The EU wants total war!
We must abandon and destroy it immediately!
In his statement, he used a link to the article:
Europeans to build up food stocks in case of war with Russia
A new report recommends that EU citizens should stock up in case of war or other major emergencies.
The report on Europe's civil and military preparedness, published on Wednesday, was written by former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö in his capacity as special advisor to the President of the European Commission.
The report concludes that the EU was not prepared for either the COVID-19 pandemic or Russian aggression against Ukraine and that it must move "from reaction to proactive preparedness".
As part of this strategy, the EU should advise households to prepare for self-sufficiency for at least 72 hours in the event of an emergency, the report says.
It recommends that Member States provide guidance to their citizens on, inter alia, stockpiling, evacuation and access to emergency services.
The survey cited in the report lists various basic supplies that households should have for emergencies, including food, drink and medicine supplies, flashlights and battery-operated radios.
These councils aim to prepare EU citizens for emergencies ranging from the next pandemic to extreme weather or armed aggression.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused people around the world to suddenly start buying goods to stock up, leading to shortages of some items.
While the report does not cite Russian aggression as the only possible threat, it does cite it as the main threat.
"We do not have a clear plan on what the EU will do in case of armed aggression against a member state. The military threat that Russia poses to European security forces us to address it as a central part of our preparedness, without undermining our work to prepare for other serious threats," says the report.
The report states that although the threat of Russian aggression is felt most keenly by the bloc's immediate neighbours, any action by Russia against an EU member state would affect all 27 countries in the bloc.
"The territorial integrity and political independence of each Member State is inextricably linked to the territorial integrity and political independence of the other Member States and the EU as a whole," says the report.
The report states that citizen empowerment should be "at the core" of a comprehensive preparedness strategy and that the bloc should raise awareness and promote self-reliance among its citizens.
It also proposes further EU-wide measures, with at least 20 % of the bloc's total budget to be allocated to strengthening security and crisis preparedness. It also proposes a plan for greater intelligence sharing between EU countries.
The 165-page report was presented to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday.
europa.eu/ gnews - RoZ
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