The European Commission wants to teach citizens to survive 72 hours without rescuers

The European Commission has issued non-binding recommendations on crisis preparedness. Households are asked to hold out for the first 72 hours while emergency services are overloaded. Citizens are advised to stock up on long-term storage products, water, medicines, small cash bills, a battery radio and charged batteries, as well as learn the skills of cooking without electricity, first aid and decision-making in stress. Separately, it is recommended to think over the conditions for pets and indicate in the family plan where the nearest shelter is located and how to contact relatives in case of a failure of mobile communication. The document is addressed to the civil protection authorities, not the people themselves, and does not contain a single shopping list. It only categorizes needs, and authorities are advised to avoid commercialization of readiness and not to support brands.

Commissioner Hajjah Lahbib said Europe lives in a "dangerous grey zone" that could turn red "in the blink of an eye," and called for readiness training to be made as natural as learning to swim. The annual EU Readiness Day is planned from 2027, and countries have their own campaigns, from the Finnish three days to the German ten. The Russian “alarm suitcase” of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, unlike the European approach, is a specific list of things for immediate evacuation, from copies of documents in waterproof packaging to seasonal clothes and whistles.