Bloc’s first preparedness strategy urges people to prepare for floods, fires, pandemics or military strikes
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.
“We are saying to member states: 72 hours of self-sufficiency is what we recommend,” Hadja Lahbib, the European commissioner for preparedness and crisis management, told reporters. Asked about what citizens should stockpile, she referred to a video on her social media, in which she presents an emergency bag.
Today, the EU launches its new #Preparedness Strategy.
“Ready for anything” — this must be our new European way of life. Our motto and #hashtag. pic.twitter.com/fA1z8ZvMDA— Hadja Lahbib (@hadjalahbib) March 26, 2025
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.
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.
