EU seeks citizens’ support for preparedness
Between March and May 2026, 150 randomly selected citizens from all 27 EU Member States discussed the topic of crisis preparedness in a Citizens’ Panel. They had been invited to Brussels by the European Commission to work together on drawing up specific recommendations for the follow-up to the European Strategy for a Union of Crisis Preparedness.
The strategy aims to enhance the EU’s civilian preparedness and readiness for future crises so that all actors are ready and capable to respond quickly and effectively if needed.
Preparedness - what's at stake?
As Europe is facing more intense and more frequent disasters than ever, it is crucial that the EU and Europeans are ready to anticipate, prepare, adapt, and respond effectively.
Preparedness is about anticipating crises and taking practical steps before disasters strike. It involves taking action early, learning about possible risks, and working together to mitigate their impact.
'Population preparedness implies that citizens play an essential role in building resilient societies. They are required to become active participants in crisis readiness and response, and this involvement must reach all parts of society', states the Citizens' Panel website.
20 recommendations
The European Citizens’ Panel on Preparedness met over three weekends between 20 March and 24 May 2026, resulting in 20 recommendations. The recommendations focus on 6 key areas:
- risk and crisis communication
- information integrity
- inclusion
- self-sufficiency
- engagement
- education
They include proposals to strengthen preparedness education, improve warning systems and crisis communication tailored to individual needs, support volunteering, enhance European self-sufficiency and resilience, counter misinformation and disinformation, and ensure more inclusive support for financially vulnerable groups and persons with disabilities.
Examples of concrete actions
Among the examples of concrete actions, citizens recommend that the EU and its Member States communicate national guidance on citizens’ personal responsibilities in preparing for future crises through door-to-door outreach and the distribution of brochures to households on the 72-hour self-sufficiency guidelines, ensuring that seniors and persons with disabilities are not left behind.
The panel members recommend the involvement of local authorities to ensure that the message is trusted and culturally appropriate. Citizens also recommend the adoption of a standardised and universal visual and auditory symbol system to help identify key locations and services in times of crisis anywhere in the EU.
On 24 May 2026, the citizens officially handed the recommendations over to the Director-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, Maciej Popowski. They will now feed into the implementation of the Preparedness Union Strategy.
Door to door
In December 2025, the Sortition Foundation was on the road to recruit participants for the mini-public. In collaboration with local partners across the EU, they knocked on doors and talked to citizens from 150 randomly selected locations in all EU countries.
From the initial pool of interested people, a final group of Citizens' Panel members was selected at random to represent the diversity of the EU population in terms of gender, education, occupation and the spectrum between rural and urban areas.
Online debate
Population preparedness is a shared responsibility. This means that public authorities, media, educational institutions, youth and civil society organisations, social partners, businesses, local networks and citizens, from an early age, all play a vital role.
This is why the European Commission wanted as many European citizens as possible to have their say on how the EU can ensure that the policies and actions are inclusive, effective and aligned with the needs of citizens. From January to May 2026 interested parties were able to join the debate and publish ideas, share their views and discuss with others on topics related to preparedness.