The European Commission announced today (November 3) a new 72-hour survival guide for Europeans in the event of an emergency or crisis.
As stated in the Commission’s announcement, as Europe faces increasingly frequent and complex crises, the European Commission is stepping up its efforts to strengthen preparedness across the EU. From helping citizens protect themselves during emergencies to ensuring that national civil protection systems can continue to function when a disaster strikes, the EU is taking concrete steps to make Europe more resilient.
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Today (November 3), at the European Civil Protection Forum, the Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness, and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, presented new guidelines to help citizens and communities prepare for emergencies, including during the first 72 hours of a crisis.
She also announced plans to establish an annual “EU Preparedness Day,” the first of which is scheduled for October 2027. These initiatives are based on a recently adopted Commission recommendation on business continuity and stress testing, aimed at strengthening the resilience of national civil protection contact points across Europe.
Overall, they mark further progress in implementing the EU’s Strategy for a Preparedness Union, translating Europe’s preparedness goals into practical actions.
New guidelines to strengthen public preparedness
From packing essential items into an emergency kit to knowing how to respond when a disaster strikes, preparedness starts with practical steps. The Commission’s new guidelines will help authorities provide citizens with the knowledge and tools they need to protect themselves and others in the event of a crisis.
They cover four key areas:
- 72-Hour Self-Sufficiency: helping citizens meet their basic needs during the first three days of an emergency, while public assistance is mobilized, including through basic emergency supplies and emergency kits.
- Preparedness education: integrating preparedness into preschool and elementary school curricula and providing training to teachers, so that children develop preparedness skills from an early age through accessible and age-appropriate activities, without causing fear or anxiety.
- Inclusive preparedness for people with disabilities: making preparedness measures more inclusive and accessible, taking into account the needs of people with disabilities and encouraging their participation in preparedness planning, so that no one is left behind.
- Communicating risks and threats: supporting authorities in communicating risks and threats more effectively, ensuring that citizens receive timely, accessible, and reliable information before, during, and after emergencies.
Overall, these non-binding guidelines aim to promote a culture of preparedness across Europe, ensuring that individuals and communities are better informed, equipped, and capable of anticipating and responding to crises.
EU Preparedness Day
To help make preparedness a shared priority across Europe, the Commission proposes establishing an annual EU Preparedness Day, to be celebrated every October 23, starting in 2027. This Day will encourage citizens and communities to take an active role in preparing for emergencies in order to protect themselves and others.
The annual event will also recognize the efforts and work of national, regional, and local authorities, civil protection organizations, and communities to strengthen preparedness across Europe.
This date marks the anniversary of the establishment of the Civil Protection Mechanism on October 23, 2001, recognizing its role in promoting European solidarity and coordinating disaster response both within and outside the EU over the past 25 years.
This initiative reflects the importance of citizen participation, which was also highlighted by the European Citizens’ Group on Preparedness. The Group, which brought together 150 citizens from across the EU between March and May 2026, recommended, among other measures, the organization of an annual EU Preparedness Week.
The Commission will work with the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee, and the European Committee of the Regions to draft a joint declaration in support of the initiative.
Strengthening Business Continuity and Stress Testing
The recently adopted Recommendation on business continuity and stress testing aims to help EU Member States and countries participating in the Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) to ensure that national civil protection contact points within the Civil Protection Mechanism remain operational at all times, even during disruptive events.
Source: Proto Thema
