War, cyberattacks, disasters: Europeans to stockpile food

Nation

26 March 2025, 12:46 PM

The European Commission is to recommend all citizens to stockpile enough food to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours in case of crisis, Politico reported on March 26, citing the EC’s draft of Preparedness Union Strategy.

It is expencted to be unveiled today.

“In case of extreme disruptions, the initial period is the most critical,” the document says, focusing of scenarios ranging from war to cyberattacks and deadly disease to climate-related floods. 

“None of the major crises of the past years were isolated or short-lived. Europe cannot afford to remain reactive” five years since the first Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns and three years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and with natural disasters and financial shocks an ever-present risk.

According to the 17-page draft, the strategy should “create a secure and resilient EU with the capabilities required to anticipate and manage threats and hazards, independently of their nature or origin,” including  guidance to member states to “cover the storage of essential supplies, crisis planning, shelter availability, measures to ensure availability of critical ground and space.”

The plan also highlights the importance of increasing preparedness for cyberattacks, given Russia's increased activity in this area since the start of the war in Ukraine. Cyberattacks have become a “permanent feature of today’s reality.”

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