The war in Ukraine has forced the European Union to prepare not only from a political perspective but also to implement survival measures for its citizens. Today, the Commission presents the Union's Preparedness Strategy. A draft that has been accessed by several media outlets, including EL MUNDO.
The document is clear: "We must prepare for large-scale incidents and crises of an intersectoral nature, including the possibility of an armed aggression affecting one or more Member States."
To this end, it advises a survival kit that it recommends to the citizens of its 27 countries.
"The Commission will support Member States in achieving a population self-sufficiency of at least 72 hours throughout the European Union. In case of extreme disruptions, public authorities may not be able to cover the basic needs of the entire population during the initial period of a crisis. Therefore, it is expected that individuals and households can sustain themselves independently for the first three days, ensuring access to essential needs such as water, food, medicines, and basic services before the arrival of external assistance," the text points out.
Brussels recommends that EU citizens have a bag with water, matches, or vitamin bars at home. "We are going to support Member States in developing what we call a resilience bag, so that all citizens are prepared to resist, to be strategically autonomous for at least 72 hours," explained the European Commissioner responsible for this dossier, Hadja Lahbib, in an interview with the AFP agency. With a list of a dozen products considered essential to fill this survival kit, ranging from a bottle of water to a flashlight, identity documents, and matches.
Another proposal is the creation of a "national preparedness day" in the EU: "Knowing what to do in case of danger, having different scenarios, also helps to avoid panic," explains Hadja Lahbib.
Regardless of the EU's strategy, other countries have already issued similar advice to their citizens. Sweden and Finland recently published new documents with guidelines in case "the worst-case scenario arrives: an armed attack." Their proximity to Ukraine makes the urgency more real than in other European countries.
The French government also plans to distribute a survival manual among its citizens, although it still needs to be approved by its Executive. The manual also recommends preparing survival kits, with at least six liters of water, dozens of canned food, flashlights, batteries, and a basic first aid kit with medications such as paracetamol, saline solutions, and band-aids, as detailed by Europe 1.