The EU has asked all Europeans to collection for 72 hours. Finland has been doing it for years and this has gone

“New realities demand a new level of preparation in Europe.” The phraseIt is from the president of CE, Úrsula von der Leyen, and defines well The turn who has just given Brussels with the presentation of his ‘Union strategy’a plan with which Brussels aspires that EU homes are prepared for “emerging threats and crises.” Among its 30 guidelines there is a especially curious And that has generated expectation: Brussels wants European homes to supply enough supplies to survive without external help at least 72 hours during emergencies.

You will not have to look far to know how to do it: in Finland he has a teacher who has been doing pedagogy for some time about the importance of prepare for crisis and that households are self -sufficient for 72 hours.

Prepare for emergencies? That’s how it is. The CE has just launched a plan with which the 27 member countries (and their homes) are more prepared to “emerging threats.” Which is it? In The statement in which the EU initiative presents some, such as Climate changethe natural disastersthe Cybersecurity… And “the growing tensions and geopolitical conflicts”, the latter especially interesting with the EU in full Rearme process and distancing Between Brussels and Washington.

To make it clear that the plan approach is wide von der Leyen He stressed The importance of households living in flood areas know how to act whether their houses are flooded or expedite the response times against forest fires. Of course they are not the only emergencies in mind. Yesterday The country The draft advanced From the document and among the threats for which Brussels wants us to be prepared “the possibility of armed aggression”.

And how do we prepare? The strategy drawn by Brussels touches many sticks. In fact it includes 30 “key actions” and an action plan in which we talk about issues such as preparing hospitals and schools, improving the storage of critical materials, reinforcing civil-military cooperation, improving disaster prevention and threats and working with partners such as NATO.

Among all these proposals there is one however one that has generated expectation: the European Commission wants households to have “essential supplies during a minimum of 72 h in emergency situations. “

In The practice That happens that families have water reserves, medications, batteries and sufficient foods to subsist three days without help. “In case of external disturbances, the initial period is the most critical,” warns the CE In his draft. For the message to be even clearer, today, coinciding with the presentation of the Community Strategy, the Crisis Management Commissioner, Hadja Lahbib, has hung A video in which it reveals what should be included in an emergency kit.

Is it a surprise? No. And not only by the international climate, marked by three years of war in Ukraine and the awareness that Europe will not be able to count forever (and unconditionally) with “The security umbrella” of the US. Months ago the former president of Finland, Sauli Niinisto, elaborated A broad report on behalf of Von der Leyen in which the “urgency” of strengthening Europe was already advancing to changes in “the geopolitical and security panorama.”

“The key task today is to ensure that we are able to provide security to Europeans and are prepared for all risks,” Niinisto insisted at the time. One from The observations collected in their report pointed out that all homes must be equipped to be self -sufficient for at least 72 hours. And those orientations They have played a key role in the plan now drawn up by Brussels.

Is there any reference? Yes. Finland herself, an EU member who shares More than 1,300 km of border with Russia and Lidia with other handicaps, such as its climate or war history. Are those or not the causes the truth is that the Nordic nation It takes time preparing their population to deal with crises and their citizens are more than accustomed to messages that recommend having sufficient provisions to subsist without external help for at least 72 hours.

Moreover, Finland, like other countries around his surroundings, such as Sweden either Norwaydistributed months ago An exhaustive guide in which it explained to its population how to prepare against incidents and crisis. In the document, Available onlineis addressed how to respond to electricity and water cuts, prolonged interruptions of banking services and the Internet, extreme natural phenomena or “long -term crisis, such as a pandemic or military conflict.”

“With what emergency fights?” That is one of the first questions that the Finns who resort to the guide must answer. The list It is wide and includes from cybersecurity problems to forest fires, storms, floods, terrorist attacks, current and water cuts, epidemics or “military conflicts.”

“Preparation is a civic skill in the current world situation”, pointed a few months ago to Bloomberg Kimmo Kohvakka, General Director of Rescue Services. “Knowing what to do in case of incident is a solid base.”

How are you doing with 72 h? What there is no doubt is that Finland has managed to expand the message that households must provide resources and prepare to endure independently for at least three days in case they deal with, for example, supply cuts. He recognizes it in The Guardian Suvi Aksela, of Nasta: “The 72 hours have become a brand here in Finland.” To achieve this, their authorities have had to make an interesting pedagogy effort that goes back several years.

For some time Finland celebrates every beginning of February the National preparation dayduring which the authorities Remember Its inhabitants who must have what they need to fix them without public services for at least 72 hours in case of emergencies such as natural disasters or military attacks, including kits. That zeal connects with decades of works of preparation in the country and has made it A reference In the matter.

Would you survive 72 hours? Perhaps one of the clearest tests of that zeal, in addition to the National Day, is the web 72.tuntia.fiin which the Finnish National Recue Association (SPEK) or the National Emergency Supplies Agency collaborate among others. It affects the importance of having resources to subsist several days independently, there are some keys related to supplies, cybersecurity, infectious diseases, communication, shelters and “psychological resilience” and even a challenge to users is raised: participate in A test with which they can find out if they would survive for three days.

Images | European Parliament and Vladislav Vedenskii (Unsplash)

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