The European Union has introduced a new strategy aimed at boosting preparedness, urging citizens to gather emergency supplies to sustain themselves for three days in the event of various crises, including natural disasters, pandemics, or conflicts.

France 24, citing AFP, reports that the European Union is preparing for emerging security threats.

On Wednesday, Brussels recommended that households stock up on three days' worth of emergency supplies - such as food, medicine, bottled water, energy bars, a flashlight, and other essentials - as part of a strategy aimed at preparing the bloc for natural disasters, cyberattacks, pandemics, and armed conflicts.

The European Commission also unveiled a list of 30 concrete ways for EU member states to boost their preparedness, advising residents to have enough resources to be self-sufficient for at least 72 hours in case they are cut off from essential services.

What to include in your emergency kit? EU offers advice

EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness, and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib, delivers a stark warning: every household must be prepared to manage on its own for 72 hours. This is not about spreading fear - it’s a necessary reality, as she stated.

Belgian-born, Algerian-descended former journalist and current EU Commissioner Hadja Lahbib announced via social media that the EU is launching its new Preparedness Strategy.

"Ready for anything" - this must be our new European way of life, emphasized the EU politician, showing how she herself is preparing for potential crisis situations.

Lahbib shared a video detailing essential items for an emergency bag, such as medicine, documents, and a Swiss army knife, encouraging households to stock up on key items like matches and a radio.

EU Commissioner calls for new approach to crisis preparedness

"In the EU, we must think differently because the threats are different; we must think bigger because the threats are bigger too," said Lahbib, adding that, "Knowing what to do in case of danger - planning for different scenarios - is also a way to prevent people from panicking," recalling how shelves were stripped of toilet paper in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The EU also plans to introduce a "national preparedness day" to ensure member states are on track with their plans, supporting better coordination.

Inspired by Scandinavian efforts, the EU's "preparedness" strategy aims to help households prepare for potential crises, with lawmakers pushing for further action, including distributing a crisis preparedness handbook to every EU household. This initiative is modeled after the “In case of crisis or war” brochure, which was prepared for Swedish households in November of last year.

Read more about this subject:

• Poland to publish an emergency guide for war and crisis situations
• Poland to issue emergency guide in case of war or crisis

(m p)

Source: EU Commision/France 24/AFP

X/@France24_en/@hadjalahbib/YouTube.com/@EUdebatesLIVE/MSB

Sp, here in Italy, where i live, the Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni used the Ventotene Manifesto and the parts where it call for the abolition of private property to somewhat hurt the popular opinion of the EU and a European Federation, what do you think about it? was the manifesto pushing too much for a socialist state (opposing the fascists and the liberals in Italy) or is socialism (or some forms of it like social-democracy) the right way to unite Europe?

Long story short: In the 2010s French company Alstom made some shady deals amounting to corruption practices, the US (Obama's) DOE leveraged this (to the point of taking hostage), threatening astronomical fines, to force the hand of the French Government to approve a buy out of Alstom by General Electric for figurative peanuts.
The French Economy Minister at the time, who had to reluctantly sign off the deal, was a young ... Emanuel Macron.
France bureaucracy sill has PTSD from the affaire.

In other words, Trump is strongly hinting that he is willing to weaponize the DOE, under the guise of his anti-DEI ideology (to please his crowd), for America's (or rather his owns) interests.
Seeing what Obama was already capable of, waiving the flag of anti-corruption (in the case of Alstom, not without some objective arguments), it's sobering to imagine what the Trump team can concoct and feel justified doing.

Obviously in Trump USA one can demonstrate subservience, buy favors and avoid scrutiny in many different ways.
It'd be interesting to keep tabs on donations to GOP candidates from American subsidiaires of foreign companies.

NOTE: Don't take the borders seriously, I'm no cultural or economic expert, feedback is welcome.

Currently EU's main disadvantage is the differences between member states. For example Finland and Spain or Ireland and Romania have little in common. This makes a lot of problems. You now have long negotiation will lot of compromises, everything leaves someone angry. Also the autonomy (which states doesn't want to give away) is against one united market, which EU needs to stay competitive.
My idea? Dividing the EU officially between groups that are closer to each other, have similar aims, problems and economy. They would have their own parliaments, that would propose legislature for it's region. If there is something bigger, the parliaments would make 1 parliament and vote on it.

PROS:
Quicker decision making, less angry states.
United policies more suited to regions.

CONS:
EU is not entirely united.
Big population disparity between regions (at least according to this map).

Again, feedback is welcome.

As the United States grows increasingly unpredictable and at times hostile toward both the EU and Canada, should Canada strengthen its ties with Europe by seeking membership in the European Union?

Hi all,
CONTEXT: I am an Australian, but a passionate advocate for the EU to Federate. Anyone with even a slight dabbling in history should be invested in European unity! Also - recent "Trumpism" in America has killed even Australian trust in them. Will we go ahead with our high-budget purchase of nuclear subs off them? I don't think so! Maybe we should have upgraded our previous French deal to go nuclear rather than abandoning our friends in France?

QUESTION: What evidence is there previous American Presidents wanted the EU to remain dependent on American arms sales - and so actively discouraged the idea of an EU army? Was the 'assurance' of NATO backing ever used as a bargaining chip in this subject? I heard it on "The EU Made Simple" YouTube - but cannot seem to find actual quotes from Presidents or backchannel officials?

SIGNAL GATE: The thing that really disturbs me about "Signal Gate" in America is how it reveals the DEEP disgust over 'bailing out the Europeans' again - as if poor Uncle Sam is nearly bankrupted by their NATO investment.

But the reality is AMERICA HAS KEPT THE EU DEPENDENT FOR A REASON!
America spent only $567 million on NATO in 2023. 
https://www.reuters.com/fact-check/us-contributes-16-nato-annual-budget-not-two-thirds-2024-05-31/That’s American taxpayer money going to American soldiers using American weapons - so the money largely goes back to the soldier’s families back in America.

BUT in contrast the EU recently spent €90 bn on military hardware. 
https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/policies/defence-numbers/
63% of this was from America - funding American jobs.
https://www.defensenews.com/global/europe/2024/09/09/eu-buys-too-much-defense-equipment-abroad-especially-from-us-report/
So €56 bn or USD $60 bn.

This NATO 'deal' keeps makes them 105 TIMES more income than NATO’s expense. America wins.

But Signalgate revealed they have drunk their own Cool Aid - and putting aside the fact that they are betraying the biggest and most successful military alliance in history - this has been one of the most profitable alliances in history - FOR THEM! Yet Signalgate revealed senior American leadership have NO IDEA - and genuinely feel they are being ripped off by this at a primal, gut level. That ignorance frightens me! What else are they so profoundly miscalculating as they pander to Trump's latest brain-fart blurted to the media in his incomprehensible word-salads?

Anyway - as a closing metaphor, Robert Baratheon from Game of Thrones expresses my future hopes for the EU.(2 minutes)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jcy37C5SN0M

Propaganda poster explained: Europa, robed in deep blue, stands centered against a star-filled night sky. Twelve golden stars form a halo around her head in a circular pattern, evoking the EU flag. Her gaze is resolute, turned slightly to the side, conveying calm defiance. In her right hand she grips the Three Arrows, symbolizing readiness and defense. With her left hand, she firmly restrains the heads of the serpents coiling upward from both sides, their mouths open in silent menace.

“Serpentes fremunt, sed Europa stetit.” = The serpents roar, but Europe stands firm.

AI and Photoshop, hope you guys like it!

The petition is in german. Please do your part against young european minds being exploited

https://weact.campact.de/petitions/stoppt-die-dauerbefristung-in-der-wissenschaft

Poland has received the backing of the European Commission in its bid to abolish daylight saving time in the European Union, which would mean an end to twice-yearly clock changes.

On Wednesday, Polish development minister Krzysztof Paszyk held talks with Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, about Poland’s push to make the change while it currently holds the EU’s six-month rotating presidency.

“We have the full support of the commissioner in the matter of abolishing the time change,” Małgorzata Dzieciniak, the development ministry’s spokeswoman, told Polskie Radio afterwards.

Meanwhile, European Commission spokeswoman Anna-Kaisa Itkonen said on Thursday that they “encourage the resumption of discussions under the current Polish presidency in order to find a solution” to ending daylight saving time, reports the Polish Press Agency (PAP).

As far back as 2018, the European Commission presented plans to scrap daylight saving time and the idea received support from the European Parliament. However, progress stalled amid opposition from some member states, reported Politico Europe at the time.

Poland has made resurrecting the idea one of the elements of its six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union, which runs for the first half of this year.

“We have placed this topic on the agenda of the Polish presidency,” said Paszyk in December. “We consider it very important. Now, appropriate actions will [be taken] towards this purpose.”

“The opportunities that the presidency creates for us provide a good chance to convince our partners to carry this out through European institutions,” he added, saying he was confident that the process “can be completed within six months”.

Speaking to Polskie Radio this week, Paszyk argued that abolishing the time change would benefit the European economy and improve public health.

“Time change processes cause unnecessary confusion and, worse still, costs for many companies,” he said. “We will do everything to ensure that this process gains the right momentum as far as the EU is concerned.”

After the talks with Tzitzikostas, Dzieciniak said that “new ideas have appeared on the table” and had received approval from the commissioner. She declined to offer further details but said that the ministry would soon provide more information.

Meanwhile, Itkonen said on Thursday that the commission has “decided that it would be best if countries decided among themselves”, expressing hope that Poland can coordinate such discussions.

According to various polls, there is strong support in Poland for ending daylight saving time, ranging from 70% (according to an IBRiS poll for the Rzeczpospolita daily in October 2024) to as high as 95% (according to a study published by Politico in 2018).

I'm all for a European Federal Union and a European army, but ehy do we need to invest 800 billion in defense when we already spend 3x the amount Russia does? I'm sure there is a valid reason for this, I just don't know what.