The European Commission has invited 150 randomly selected people from across the EU to meet in Brussels this weekend to draw up recommendations on how the bloc should prepare for future crises.
The first session of the European Citizens’ Panel on Preparedness starts on Friday and runs until Sunday, with Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib set to open the meeting, the Commission announced on Thursday.
Participants will discuss how to put into practice the Preparedness Union Strategy — a plan that calls for citizens to play a more active role in readiness for emergencies.
The Commission said it has already taken steps linked to its Preparedness Strategy adopted a year ago, including setting out EU Stockpiling and Medical Countermeasures Strategies intended to ensure essential goods and medical items are available during crises.
It added that a new EU Stockpiling Network has been created to bring together national stockpiling authorities for the first time, with the aim of coordinating assistance and delivering goods where needed during emergencies.
Changes to emergency response plans
A revision of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has also been proposed to improve coordinated responses to emergencies and strengthen the Emergency Response Coordination Centre, the Commission said.
The proposed changes include creating an EU Crisis Coordination Hub and consolidating existing rescEU reserves — EU-level emergency resources used to support countries during disasters.
The Commission also cited a new Water Resilience Strategy, and said the EU and member states are working on public guidance for 72-hour household self-sufficiency and integrating preparedness into early childhood and primary school programmes.
This is the eighth citizens’ panel organised by the Commission since the format was launched in 2022.
Plenary sessions will be streamed on the Citizens’ Engagement Platform, where an online discussion open to all EU citizens will also feed into the panel’s work.
