Preparedness saves, unpreparedness costs

The EPP Group calls for greater cooperation and coordination between EU Member States on civil and defence preparedness issues. “Europe is at a decisive crossroads in terms of its security and collective defence. Beyond our contribution to the Atlantic Alliance, we must quickly and effectively develop an autonomous European Defence Pillar, capable of facing the risks and threats of an unpredictable and changing global environment,” says Nicolás Pascual de la Parte MEP, EPP Group Spokesman on Defence ahead of today's plenary debate with former President of Finland Sauli Niinistö on his Report on Strengthening Europe's Civil and Defence Preparedness.

“The Report, based on the Finnish Comprehensive Security Model, effectively identifies the main external threats to the EU and stresses the importance of a proactive approach to situational awareness for early threat detection,” adds EPP Group MEP Pekka Toveri, a retired Finnish Army General and former Head of the Intelligence Division of the Finnish Defence Command. He insists that “the EU needs to develop an effective risk assessment system that allows for a coordinated, EU-wide evaluation of the likelihood and impact of security threats".

“The challenges facing our common security architecture have become more complex in recent years. Our military defence is central to this, but without an equally strong civil defence strategy, we are only standing on one leg," says Lena Düpont MEP, EPP Group Spokeswoman on Home Affairs. She adds that the Niinistö report shows that "the EU is taking this issue seriously, and giving equal importance to civil defence and thereby strengthening the resilience of the EU as a whole."