European households are being urged to prepare for emergencies by ensuring they can meet their basic needs for at least 72 hours without outside assistance.
The European Commission has presented new guidelines covering how citizens can prepare for natural disasters, major disruptions to essential services and other emergency situations.
The initiatives were unveiled by European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib at the European Civil Protection Forum, as part of the EU’s broader efforts to strengthen resilience against increasingly frequent and complex crises.
The Commission says preparedness is not solely the responsibility of governments and civil protection services. Citizens also need to know how to protect themselves and their families when an emergency occurs.
What should households have ready?
The central recommendation is that households should be able to remain self-sufficient during the first three days of a crisis, when public assistance may not yet be fully available.
The Commission encourages people to keep basic emergency supplies at home and prepare a dedicated emergency bag that can be taken quickly if they need to leave their property.
A 72-hour emergency kit could include:
- Drinking water and long-life food.
- Essential medication.
- A torch and spare batteries.
- Communication equipment.
- Important personal documents.
The contents should be adapted to the needs of each household.
The aim is not to cause alarm, but to help people cope during the first critical hours of an emergency.
Emergency preparedness to be taught in schools
The Commission also proposes introducing crisis preparedness education in pre-school and primary education.
Through age-appropriate activities and specialised teacher training, children would learn basic ways to protect themselves during natural disasters and other emergencies.
The guidelines stress that this education should be delivered in a way that does not create fear or insecurity.
They also call for preparedness information and measures to be accessible to people with disabilities, taking their individual needs into account.
EU proposes annual Preparedness Day
The European Commission has also announced plans to establish an annual European Preparedness Day, proposed for 23 October, with the first event expected to take place in 2027.
The date marks the establishment of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism on 23 October 2001.
The initiative aims to encourage citizens and local communities to take a more active role in emergency preparedness, while also recognising the work of civil protection services.
The Commission will work with the European Parliament, the Council and other EU institutions to organise the event.
Stress tests for civil protection services
Alongside guidance for households, the Commission is proposing measures to ensure national civil protection services can continue operating during major emergencies.
The recommendation calls for business continuity plans and regular stress tests to ensure national contact points for the EU Civil Protection Mechanism remain operational during serious crises.
The aim is to ensure the EU mechanism can coordinate assistance around the clock, even when civil protection infrastructure itself is affected.
What the guidelines mean for Cyprus
The new guidelines are non-binding and form part of the EU Preparedness Union Strategy, adopted by the European Commission in March 2025.
The strategy is based on the principle that crisis management is a shared responsibility involving public authorities, businesses, civil society and citizens.
For Cyprus, the recommendations are particularly relevant given the country’s exposure to risks such as wildfires, earthquakes, extreme weather events and potential disruptions to critical infrastructure.
However, their implementation will depend on decisions and action by the relevant national authorities.
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