The European Commission has presented a new strategy aimed at strengthening the preparation of the European Union in the face of potential crises, whether they are of natural, industrial, cyber or military origin.
One of the flagship measures of this strategy is to encourage each Member State to develop a “survival kit” allowing its citizens to hold for 72 hours in the event of breaking of essential supplies. This kit must include, among other things, food, water and copies of crucial identity documents.
This initiative is part of a series of 30 concrete measures that states must adopt to anticipate and respond effectively to various threats. The European commissioner responsible for humanitarian aid and crisis management, Hadja Lahbib, stressed that faced with increasing and varied threats, the EU must review its priorities and prepare for challenges on a larger scale.
For her part, Roxana Mînzatu, a preparation commissioner, said that the European Union did not start from scratch and that solid bases were already in place. It insisted on the importance of ensuring that citizens have access to sufficient resources to provide for their needs in the event of a prolonged crisis, and this, in close collaboration with the civil and military authorities.
