EU advises citizens to stockpile food in case of war with Russia
Kyiv • UNN
The former president of Finland has prepared a report on the EU's readiness for crisis situations. The document recommends that Europeans have a 72-hour supply of food and basic necessities.
Residents of the European Union should stock up on food in case of war or other serious emergency, according to a new report. This is stated in the report on civil and military preparedness of Europe, which was prepared by former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö, UNN reports with reference to Newsweek.
Details
The report emphasizes that the EU was not prepared for either the COVID-19 pandemic or Russia's aggression against Ukraine, and that it needs to move “from reaction to proactive preparedness.
As part of this strategy, the EU should recommend that households have everything they need for at least 72 hours in the event of an emergency, the report says.
EU member states are encouraged to provide their citizens with guidance on stockpiling, evacuation and access to emergency services, among other things.
The study cited in the report refers to various essentials that households should have in case of an emergency, including food, drinks and medicines, a flashlight and a battery-powered radio.
These tips are designed to prepare EU citizens for emergencies ranging from another pandemic to extreme weather conditions or armed aggression.
Although the report does not mention Russian aggression as the only possible threat, it is named as one of the main ones.
“We do not have a clear plan for what the EU would do in the event of armed aggression against a member state. The threat of war that Russia poses to European security forces us to consider it as a central element of our preparedness, without undermining our work to prepare for other major threats,” the report says.
The report emphasizes that although the threat of Russian aggression is felt most strongly by its closest neighbors, any actions by Russia against one of the EU member states will affect all 27 countries of the bloc.
“The territorial integrity and political independence of each Member State is inextricably linked to the territorial integrity and political independence of other Member States and the EU as a whole,” the report says.
The report says that citizen empowerment should be the “core” of a comprehensive preparedness strategy, and that the bloc should raise awareness and encourage self-sufficiency among its population.
Other EU-wide measures are also proposed, including the allocation of at least 20% of the bloc's total budget to strengthen security and crisis preparedness. In addition, a plan for greater intelligence sharing between EU countries is proposed.
The report is 165 pages long. It has already been presented to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday.
