Europe will strengthen cooperation on preparedness in light of wild weather

The EU must strengthen its common preparedness so that member states are better able to respond to extreme weather and geopolitical uncertainty.

This is stated by the Minister for Social Security and Preparedness, Torsten Schack Pedersen (V).

The announcement comes in connection with Tuesday’s ministerial meeting in Copenhagen.

Here, the ministers responsible for preparedness from EU countries are gathered.

And there is plenty to address, emphasizes Torsten Schack Pedersen.

– We are facing an international order characterized by uncertainty, global competition, and an increasing level of conflict.

– Climate change is also leading to extreme weather situations with wildfires, storms, and floods. Many EU countries have experienced such situations in recent years with serious consequences and loss of life, he says.

In March, the EU Commission presented its EU Preparedness Union Strategy in response to the challenges. In Danish, EU’s preparedness strategy.

The strategy aims to improve the EU’s civil and military preparedness and readiness for future crises.

It comes at the right time, believes Torsten Schack Pedersen.

– There is a need to increase the ability of EU countries to individually and collectively withstand a wide range of threats and risks, he says.

He points to cooperation on aircraft to extinguish wildfires and EU capacity to quickly repair cable breaks as areas where countries can come together.

By virtue of Denmark’s EU presidency, Torsten Schack was the host of the meeting for ministers responsible for preparedness on Tuesday.

The Danish minister hopes that Tuesday’s meeting in Copenhagen will give EU countries the opportunity to provide input to the EU Commission’s strategy and what the EU can do to assist EU countries.

Among other things, countries can express their wishes regarding what should come first in the strategy, says Torsten Schack Pedersen.

The meeting comes shortly after the EU Commission has presented two central proposals from the preparedness strategy.

One proposal, called the EU Stockpiling Strategy – or in Danish, EU’s stockpiling strategy – aims to improve the EU’s crisis preparedness.

This will be achieved by ensuring access to medical supplies, energy equipment, and critical raw materials in emergencies.

The other proposal has the long name “Union Civil Protection Mechanism and Union support for health emergency preparedness and response.”

The goal of the proposal is, among other things, to strengthen the overall ability of EU countries to detect, monitor, and combat cross-border health threats.

– The EU Commission has presented a total of 63 initiatives in its preparedness strategy, which will be implemented over 2025, 2026, and 2027. So it is a process that extends beyond the Danish EU presidency.

– But we will work to ensure that as much as possible is implemented as quickly as possible, says Torsten Schack Pedersen.

Denmark will hand over the EU presidency to Cyprus on January 1, 2026.