The European Commission is preparing to take an important political turning point with its Competitiveness Compass. The new college of commissioners will present security and defense as one of the most important pillars for the years to come. To this end, the Community Executive is already preparing a White Paper on Defense which should serve to prepare member countries to face an uncertain geopolitical scenario, as well as increasing natural disasters like those experienced by the Valencian Community.
To prepare this strategic document, the President of the European Commission, Úrsula von der Leyen, entrusted the former Finnish President, Sauli Niinistö, with the preparation of another report “Strengthening civil and military preparedness and preparedness of Europe) who joins those of Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi as key guides in setting the political objectives of his mandate. In the report prepared by Niinistö, They present eight blocks of measures aimed at strengthening Europe’s security and its capacity for common reaction to hitherto unpredictable scenarios, such as a military aggression against a member state.
1. Decode current crises and anticipate threats.
The former Finnish president proposes carrying out a comprehensive risk assessment of the EU that covers all sectors. Use the next “Preparedness Strategy” to respond and strengthen EU-NATO relations in the face of crisis situations with an emergency protocol that can be activated to accelerate the exchange of information.
2. Enable the EU to function in all circumstances
Develop a comprehensive list of vital government and social functions. Ensure their continuity in the event of armed aggression, cyberattacks or natural disasters and create a “security and preparedness check” to ensure that these functions are taken into account in impact analyzes of future legislative proposals and revisions.
3. Guarantee rapid action with appropriate structures and procedures.
As the DANA of Valencia or covid has shown, it is essential to strengthen operational coordination. To this end, the development of a “Crisis Operational Center” is proposed to facilitate coordination between sectors and awareness of the situation. It is also proposed to create an EU Earth Observation Service to improve preparedness, decision-making and action in the areas of security and defence, and to develop tools to enable to make the EU’s strategic foresight more practical and solution-oriented.
4. Strengthen individual and family preparedness.
Jointly invest in citizen risk education, integrating different dimensions, such as cybersecurity, natural disasters and disinformation. A 72-hour self-sufficiency target will be promoted through information campaigns involving civil society organizations, trade unions and employers to improve crisis preparedness in different areas of life.
5. Harness the potential of public-private partnerships.
Niinistö also proposes developing stronger public-private information exchange and coordination mechanisms to strengthen the flow of information on existing and emerging risks. Consider flexibility measures, including exemptions from regulations during emergencies, to respond more quickly to crises.
6. Overwhelm bad actors to deter hybrid attacks.
Strengthen EU intelligence structures into a fully developed cooperation service. Strengthen the EU’s capacity for “deterrence by denial” (by denying the adversary the ability to successfully achieve its intended objectives) and “deterrence by punishment” (by imposing sanctions to deter people who have already committed a crime). again).
7. Develop Europe’s defense efforts and unlock its dual-use potential.
The former Finnish Prime Minister calls for developing a set of European defense capabilities for the next decade, for example with an anti-missile shield. Strengthen civil-military and dual-use cooperation and develop a single defense market that facilitates industrial cooperation.
8. Strengthen mutual resilience with partners through assertive European diplomacy.
Include the principle of mutual resilience in EU initiatives, taking into account sectoral or regional specificities. Use scenario-based risk assessments to prepare response options and guide broader policy development in the face of potential external shocks and crises. Adapt the budgetary framework to improve multi-year financing and investments and ensure long-term financing of key programs. These measures are crucial for the EU to confront the threat of military aggression, cyberattacks, natural disasters and disinformation campaigns.
One euro spent on early warning systems saves up to 130 euros
Extreme weather events and disruptions to global trade affected millions of people in the EU between 1980 and 2022 and cost member states €650 billion and €112 billion between 2021 and 2024. , the macroeconomic cost of the Covid-19 crisis The pandemic for the euro zone is estimated at 16% of GDP. According to the European Commission, every euro invested in pandemic preparedness can generate average benefits of 13.3 euros. In the case of early warning systems in the event of a heatwave, the return on investment reaches on average 130 euros. For this reason, the Finnish Prime Minister believes that a demonstrated commitment to preparedness at the government level has a crucial impact on mindsets, strengthening public trust in government and generating confidence among investors and citizens. Likewise, it is recommended to include the design readiness criterion, based on the joint management of natural and man-made threats.
