Generalizing military service, improving early warning systems or ensuring that households across the EU are prepared for a minimum basic autonomy of 72 hours in different types of emergencies. The European Union is discussing how to improve its defense preparedness to respond to all types of threats, not only in the military domain but also in the civil domain.
The first step was the publication this Friday of a report commissioned by the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyenprepared by the former Finnish president, Sauli Niinistö. A study which precisely defends the export of the Finnish model to the rest of the EU, which has been preparing for decades for a possible conflict with Russia.
“We do not have a clear plan on what the EU will do in the event of armed aggression against a Member State“, warns Niinistö in his report. There is also no emergency coordination center at European level that brings together all the actors involved in responding to a threat of this type. These are the most important shortcomings that Brussels must urgently resolve to be able to address “the threat of war that Russia poses to European security, or other risks such as “disruptions to the global economy, disasters caused by climate change or another pandemic.”
According to the former Finnish president, the starting point for comprehensive defense preparation is “putting citizens at the center“. The EU and Member States must better protect their citizens by strengthening their resilience and capacity for action. “This means raising citizens’ awareness of the risks, encourage self-sufficiency and allow citizens, in different capacities, to play an active role in preparing for crises and in the first response,” he says.
Firstly, the EU must ensure that all EU households are ready to a minimum basic autonomy of 72 hours in different types of emergencies. For example, providing guidelines on food storage, evacuations, chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear threats, access to medical services or schooling in emergency situations. Training that should be included in educational programs and information campaigns.
Currently, more than half of those surveyed by the Eurobarometer (58%) do not feel well prepared for disasters and Only 46% say they would know what to do in the event of a disaster.. Most Europeans have limited emergency preparedness measures and their ability to manage basic household functions during crises is limited. “This demonstrates that there are considerable opportunities to improve personal preparedness and household capacity to cope with disasters across the EU,” the study says.
Military service
The former Finnish Prime Minister has given up on proposing the restoration of compulsory military service throughout the EU, as is the case in his country. “It wouldn’t be realistic.”he argues, because it is a national competence of the Member States. However, he warns that there is a growing shortage of specialists in the EU for security-related professions.
“It is not just about ensuring that Member States’ armed forces have sufficient numbers of men and women serving in uniform. The Commission already estimated last year that The EU is short of almost a million cybersecurity professionalswhich are necessary both in the public service and in the private sector,” warned Niinistö.
To solve this problem, Member States should approve specific incentives, notably through EU-funded programmes, to security careers are more attractive to young people.
The report also proposes structured collaboration between governments to identify “best practices” regarding models of compulsory military service or the creation of functioning reserve systems. The aim is that they can serve as an inspiration to others and facilitate their expansion across the EU.
An example is the The Estonian “cyber-conscription” modelwhich allows young people to become cybersecurity experts during their civil service
or military. The former Finnish president also cites the case of Poland, which recently developed a one-year voluntary basic military service; o Germany and the Netherlands, which are considering a Swedish-style selective conscription model.
Another essential tool to improve defense preparedness would be the gradual creation of a European intelligence service, although Niinistö himself admits the practical difficulties of this measure due to the mistrust that still persists between member states.
European governments must also take joint measures to make it as difficult as possible for hostile intelligence services to operate within the EU; as well as the creation of an anti-sabotage network to help member states prevent and respond to incidents of sabotage by foreign powers.
Regarding financing, the former Finnish president emphasizes “the urgency to invest more” in security and defense. “Preparation has a cost, but it pales in comparison to the cost of facing a major crisis without preparation.” Your report proposes devoting at least 20% of the EU budget to these issues. Furthermore, Member States and private financial institutions must explore new ways to mobilize more money, such as preparation bonusesguarantees or new investment products in EU companies specializing in this area.
