MSB contributes to a stronger preparedness culture within the EU
Since February 2024, MSB has led the EU project preparEU Pilot in collaboration with Norway, Spain and Belgium. The project has now presented its final report which includes recommendations to enhance resilience among the population across the EU.
The aim of preparEU Pilot is to contribute to the EU's objectives of addressing increasingly complex threat scenario, aligned with the European Disaster Resilience Goals. One of the goals is to raise risk awareness and preparedness among the population. The project has developed recommendations on how the EU and its member states can collaborate on joint initiatives to support this. A first step towards more coordinated efforts to strengthen population resilience was already taken during Sweden's Presidency of the EU in the first half of 2023.
Increased cooperation in risk communication
One of the project's goals is to contribute to more coordinated efforts within the EU to strengthen people's preparedness.
- Many EU countries are doing a great deal to strengthen their populations' resilience to various crises and wars, but we have been less successful in taking advantage of our membership of the EU and the fact that we can achieve much more together. We now hope that our recommendations will contribute to this, says project manager Christina Andersson at the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agencie.
The project has also had a special focus on developing more accessible and democratic risk communication within the EU. Several of the recommendations therefore relate to how countries, with the support of the EU, can work to strengthen preparedness among groups that are particularly vulnerable in crises and wars.
Five concepts for more coordinated efforts
The project has developed five different concepts with accompanying recommendations for developing risk communication within the EU. The recommendations are aimed at both the EU level and the Member States.
The five concepts are:
- 6 Basics of Self-Preparedness – a common baseline for household preparedness
- Learning Programme for Schools – integrated preparedness in school education
- Web Hub for Risk Communication and Preparedness – a digital hub to facilitate the sharing of information material and good examples of risk communication between member states
- Groups at Risk – A Guide for Inclusive Risk Communication – recommendations for more inclusive risk communication
- PreparEU Day – a long-term vision for a common European preparedness day.
The concepts have been developed with the help of various surveys, workshops with experts, researchers and practitioners, and numerous discussions within the project group. Some of the concepts have already been taken up by the EU in its Preparedness Union Strategy, which was presented in March this year.
- Throughout the project, we have had strong support from the EU level, alongside high expectations to deliver concrete and useful recommendations for the EU to act upon. With the project's final report, it feels like we have met those expectations, says Christina Andersson.
The preparEU Pilot project presented its final report at a well-attended conference in Brussels in mid-September