On October 30 in Brussels, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and former Finnish President Sauli Niinistö presented Safer Together: Strengthening Europe’s Civilian and Military Preparedness and Readiness, a 165-page report offering steps to enhance Europe’s resilience. The report advocates for a future-ready Europe built on collaboration, adaptability, and proactive preparedness.
Responding to a New Reality
The interconnected crises of recent years—COVID-19, the war in Ukraine, and intensifying climate impacts—highlight Europe’s need to shift from reactive crisis management to proactive resilience. The Niinistö report calls for a “whole-of-society” approach, urging cooperation among governments, private sector partners, and citizens. Civil protection authorities play a pivotal role in bridging national and sectoral divides.
Core Building Blocks for a Resilient Europe
The report identifies eight core “building blocks” as the foundation of Europe’s resilience strategy, with recommendations for civil protection authorities on cross-sector coordination, situational awareness, and civilian-military cooperation.
Central to cross-sectoral coordination is the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), on which a central crisis hub should be built to streamline responses and resource deployment in cross-border emergencies.
EU Preparedness Union Strategy
The report advocates for an Preparedness Union Strategy to put the EU on track for comprehensive preparedness, aiming to synchronise policies across the Union, aligning with the European Security Union and Global Health strategies.
President Niinistö also advocates for an EU Preparedness Law to introduce uniform standards and clarify roles across all governance levels for rapid, harmonised emergency responses.
Preparedness must become the underlying logic of all our actions.
Engaging Citizens in Preparedness
The report considers that EU citizens should be empowered for their preparedness and societal resilience. A central element highlighted in the report is active citizen engagement. Involving the public in risk education and preparedness communication builds resilience without causing undue concern. Civil protection authorities are key in equipping communities with the knowledge and resources needed to stay resilient.
Strengthening Public-Private Partnerships
The report emphasises public-private partnerships to bolster resilience, especially against hybrid and cyber threats. These partnerships enable civil protection authorities to leverage private sector innovations and capacity during crises.
Preparedness must become the underlying logic of all our actions.
The EU should address the risk of hybrid attacks and scale up its efforts on defence, says Mr Niinistö; who also advocates for an assertive EU diplomacy at all levels.
Sustainable Investment for Lasting Preparedness
The report highlights the need for stable, long-term financing for civil protection. By adapting the EU’s budgetary framework, civil protection authorities can ensure resources for both immediate response and long-term risk mitigation. As part of this framework, the EU should, according to the report, envision an investment package in its next multi-annual budget to pool relevant instruments, aligning funding with the scale and complexity of anticipated challenges. Dedicated funding streams of at least 20% of the overall EU budget should be dedicated to EU security and crisis preparedness, such as for cross-border training, infrastructure fortification, and public education are essential to balance response and prevention.
“Preparedness-by-design” encourages resilience across regulatory frameworks and operations, ensuring Europe’s critical infrastructure can withstand disruptions. Within this framework, the proposed Securing Europe Facility (SEF) aims to consolidate civil security, civil protection, and emergency response funding into one cohesive structure. By connecting EU research on civil security with operational deployment, SEF seeks to close the current gap between innovation and application, enabling joint cross-border procurement and a more resilient Europe.
Towards a Safer Europe
As Europe adapts to an unpredictable risk landscape, the report serves as both a guide and call to action for civil protection authorities. With recommendations grounded in cross-sector, cross-border, and public-private collaboration, the report highlights shared responsibility as the foundation of security.
For an in-depth look at the report and its applications, explore the full document to see how these recommendations will shape Europe’s civil protection strategies in the coming years: Strengthening Europe’s civil and military preparedness and readiness: Report by Special Adviser Niinistö
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