Five years after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, three years after Russia's attack on Ukraine and in view of the ever-present danger of natural disasters, the strategy appears to come at a time when Europe is dealing with one crisis after another. As ‘none of the major crises of recent years were isolated or short-lived’, Europe cannot afford to continue to be reactive, according to the Joint Communication presented by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen together with EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas and the two Commissioners for Preparedness, Roxana Mînzatu and Hadja Lahbib.

Kick-off to get prepared
In her political guidelines for the next EU Commission in July 2024, EU Commission President von der Leyen announced a ‘Preparedness Union’. At the presentation  of the strategy, she stressed that new realities require a higher level of crisis preparedness. For that, we need a new preparedness mindset so that everyone knows what to do in any emergency, added Vice-President Mînzatu. A common European approach is necessary. However, based on the experiences during the pandemic, we no longer have to start from scratch.

The new plans are based on the recommendations of former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö. In his report, published in October 2024, he outlines a broad definition of security for the EU that goes far beyond military defence. He emphasises that the EU needs a profound change of mentality and must adapt its civilian and military capabilities to the new threats.

Structure of the crisis-proof union
The EU Commission has identified four key risks  that need to be addressed: natural disasters, human-induced disasters such as pandemics and industrial accidents, hybrid threats such as cyberattacks and disinformation campaigns, and geopolitical crises. To counter these risks, the strategy aims to develop an integrated, whole-of-society and whole-of-government approach by combining some existing initiatives and adding new ones. These measures are divided into seven key tools and actions, from foresight and anticipation to civil-military cooperation and resilience through external partnerships such as with NATO.

Resilience at the core
From an employee perspective, the second key tool, i.e. resilience of vital societal functions is particularly important. The sectors defined here are based on the NIS 2 Directive  for a high common level of cybersecurity across the Union and on the resilience of critical entities Directive , which defined critical infrastructure across the EU. These include 11 sectors and sub-sectors that safeguard the maintenance of economic activity, public health, security and the supply of food and water. In order to continue to protect these sectors, the EU Commission is now pushing for the full transposition and application of these directives. In addition, security and preparedness aspects shall be systematically integrated into EU policies and programmes. It also proposes a stockpiling strategy to improve access to critical resources such as medical products, emergency equipment and critical raw materials.

In this context, the EU Commission also announces that it will soon present a European climate adaptation plan to help Member States prepare for climate risks. This will likely complement and further specify the 2021 EU Strategy on Adaptation to Climate Change and the 2024 Communication of managing climate risks. The forthcoming Water Resilience Strategy, which aims at ensuring access to clean water and protecting the EU from water-related risks, is also addressed. Equally important are the initiatives to promote a circular economy and sustainable use of materials to reduce dependence on critical raw materials.

Further measures
Another crucial area is preparing the population. Here, the strategy aims at increasing risk awareness through communication. Through targeted campaigns and providing practical guidelines, the governments of the Member States should enable citizens to stockpile essential supplies for at least 72 hours in an emergency. Also stressed is the need to integrate aspects of crisis preparedness into school curricula and to promote youth exchange programmes.

The Communication also contains a series of proposals for industrial and defence policy measures. These are linked to and complement other recently published initiatives such as the Clean Industrial Deal, the White Paper for European Defence, the Union of Skills and ProtectEU, the new European internal security strategy.

These include, among other, improving early warning systems, strengthening the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) and setting up a public-private Preparedness Taskforce to promote exchange of information and joint crisis management with industry.

An initial assessment
In a first reaction by the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC), General Secretary Esther Lynch stresses that the discussion on adaptation measures often neglects the workplace dimension. Decisions should not be taken from the top down but should necessarily involve trade unions and the social partners as a whole. She warns of the consequences of growing in-work poverty and calls for the reduction of security risks from long subcontracting chains in public procurement.

The extent to which a genuine ‘precautionary union’ can be fully implemented also depends on financing and legal implementation. In a first debate in the EU Parliament, progressive forces in particular stressed  the need for higher climate investments. However, it is still unclear how binding the regulations will be. The EU Commission has merely announced that in future it will always check new laws and policies for security and crisis preparedness. It also intends to review the EU's financial instruments to ensure flexible funding that can be adapted to circumstances. The implementation of the strategy is to be regularly monitored in the future.

Further information:
EU Commission: EU Preparedness Union Strategy to prevent and react to emerging threats and crises
AK EUROPA: Europe is not sufficiently prepared for inevitable climate disasters
AK EUROPA: Political Guidelines for the next EU Commission 2024 - 2029. The right answers to current challenges?
AK EUROPA: Water resilience in Europe. Putting people and planet first
ETUC: Adaptation to Climate Change and the world of work
EEA report: European Climate Risk Assessment
A&W-Blog: Der soziale und ökologische Umbau braucht einen Plan (German only)
POLITICO: Threat of war and disease means Europeans need 3 days’ supplies, Commission to warn