EU Stockpiling Strategy: Boosting the EU's material preparedness for crises

This EU Stockpiling Strategy adopts a comprehensive approach to stockpiling and addresses its entire cycle, from anticipation to monitoring of supply chains, measures to strengthen supply security, management of stockpiling, and deployment. It applies to essential goods (2), that are understood for these purposes as any physical object necessary to maintain vital societal functions (3). The EU Stockpiling Strategy will foster coordinated public and private reserves of critical inputs and ensure their availability under all circumstances.

The Strategy will be guided by the underlying principles of solidarity, transparency, accountability and equitable access to resources across the EU, which is key to ensure equality of all, particularly under severe circumstances. In line with the Union of Equality framework (4), the implementation of the Strategy will take into account the specific needs of different groups, including in relation to gender, disability, age and racial or ethnic background.

Following the Preparedness Union Strategy, the Stockpiling Strategy reflects a mindset shift from a reactive, sectoral crisis management approach to a proactive, agile and better-integrated preparedness approach.