The European Union Commission has told citizens they should stockpile 72 hours worth of essential supplies in case of war or other crisis.
The advice was part of a new guidance document called the Preparedness Union strategy, released on Wednesday, which looks to “support Member States and enhance Europe's capability to prevent and respond to emerging threats”.
The Strategy calls on Europe to develop “resilience” in the face of a changing and risky geopolitical climate, with the document citing the Russia-Ukraine war as a key factor, alongside other geopolitical tensions, critical infrastructure attacks or failures and electronic warfare.
It outlines 30 key actions and a “detailed Action Plan”, as well as looking to create a ‘preparedness by design culture' across all EU policies.
One of these key action is calling on member state citizens to have practical emergency measures in place, such as enough essential supplies to last them for a minimum of three days.
Additional measures included citizen-military cooperation, a “comprehensive risk and threat assessment at EU level”, establishing an EU Crisis Hub and working ”preparedness lessons" into school curriculums.
"New realities require a new level of preparedness in Europe," said Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.
“Our citizens, our Member States, and our businesses need the right tools to act both to prevent crises and to react swiftly when a disaster hits…Europe stands ready to support Member States and trusted partners in the neighbourhood to save lives and livelihoods.”