Renew Europe MEPs Call for EU-Wide Crisis Preparedness Guide

Members of the European Parliament from Renew Europe, Grégory Allione, Anna-Maja Henriksson and Nathalie Loiseau have called on the European Commission to develop and issue a comprehensive EU-wide crisis preparedness guide, to be sent to all European households.

In a letter to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, the MEPs urged the EU to follow the example of Finland, Sweden, and Denmark, which have already implemented national preparedness initiatives to help citizens respond to emergencies, including natural disasters, pandemics, cyber threats, and potential conflicts.

"The Commission will soon present its EU Preparedness Union Strategy. It is a major step to guarantee our security and reinforce our resilience, in a context of dramatic geopolitical turmoil and climate crisis. To face these challenges, Europe needs to create a true culture of preparedness, involving all European citizens. Because we are safer together, solidarity and civic commitment must guide our actions towards a better prepared Europe," said MEP Grégory Allione (Renaissance/France), a former senior firefighter.

The letter highlights how existing national guides, such as Finland’s “Preparing for Crises and Incidents Guide" and Sweden’s “In case of crisis or war”, have successfully enhanced civilian readiness. Also, the report of Former Finnish President, Sauli Niinistö, “Safer together: Strengthening Europe’s Civilian and Military Preparedness and Readiness”, presented in October 2024, clearly acknowledges both the crucial role of individual citizens in preparedness as well as the need to increase awareness among European citizens. The MEPs argue that an EU-wide initiative would not only harmonize preparedness measures but also strengthen solidarity across member states.

MEP Anna-Maja Henriksson (Svenska folkpartiet/Finland) emphasised the importance of individual preparedness as part of broader EU resilience:

"Empowering citizens with knowledge is one of the most effective ways to strengthen our collective security. A pan-European preparedness guide would provide essential information on securing basic supplies, staying safe during crises, and responding to cyber threats. The Finnish model of comprehensive security and national preparedness needs to be rolled out across Europe and the European Commission can play a role here in sharing best practices. As Europeans, we are only as resilient as our weakest link."

MEP Nathalie Loiseau (Horizons/France) added:

"Security is the responsibility of governments at national level and of the EU as a whole. But there is no successful security strategy without a whole of society approach. And we cannot only react and respond to crises, for which we need to be prepared. We must prevent and deter new crises, learning from the past and the present and strengthening our resilience for the future. The Niinistö report is a very good basis and we expect the Commission to come with an ambitious strategy."

Meeting in Paris on 24 March for the Democracy and Liberties Summit, liberal, democratic and centrist leaders adopted a declaration which included a commitment to taking organised and coordinated political actions at European level to prepare nations.

Renew Europe is calling on the European Commission to incorporate this proposal into its forthcoming communication on the "EU Preparedness Union" and to ensure that all European households receive accessible, practical information on crisis preparedness.

Read full letter here.