STRASBOURG: The EU on Wednesday announced its first ever plan to help stockpile essential goods such as food, water, fuel and medicines in case of crises, amid fears over potential war with Russia.
The “stockpiling strategy” from Brussels comes as NATO warns that Russia — currently waging war on EU neighbour Ukraine — could be ready to attack the alliance within five years.
The 27-nation bloc has launched a broad readiness push to bolster its militaries and try to ensure it can defend itself by 2030.
“The goal is very simple to make sure that essential supplies that keep our societies running, especially the ones that save lives, are always available,“ EU crisis management commissioner Hadja Lahbib said.
“The more we prepare, the less we panic.”
The EU says the new stockpiling plan is aimed at securing the continuity of key goods during a raft of crises “such as major energy blackouts, natural disasters, conflicts or pandemics.”
It involves establishing a network between countries to better coordinate stocks, identifying gaps and bolstering “EU-level stockpiles”.
The levels of crisis preparedness among EU citizens vary markedly from country to country.
Member states, such as Finland, living under Moscow’s shadow on the EU’s eastern border, have long worked on having society ready for potential conflict.
“Of course, if you have a 1,000 kilometres border with Russia, you will feel threatened potentially by a war,“ Lahbib said.
“But it is normal, that in Spain, they feel that wildfires are more likely to happen. There is no one size fits all.”
Lahbib insisted that whatever the cause of a crisis — be it conflict or natural disasters — the impact on citizens such as energy blackouts can be similar.
“People are without energy, and that’s why we need to stockpile items everywhere in the European Union,“ she said.
In March, as part of its efforts, the EU advised every household to have a three-day survival kit including water, food and flashlights ready in case of emergencies. – AFP
