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Brussels says it will build an emergency stockpile of critical minerals and cable repair kits as concerns grows about its vulnerability to EU attacks.
“The EU is facing an increasingly complex and degradable situation characterized by increasing geopolitical tensions, including conflict, the impact of rising climate change, environmental degradation, hybrid and cyber threats,” the Commission said in a draft document setting the stockpile strategy seen in a financial era.
Member States should adjust their backup supply of food, drugs and even nuclear fuel, EU officials said. It also accelerates EU-level stockpiling of items such as cable repair modules “to ensure a rapid recovery from breakdown of energy and optical cables,” as well as work on products such as rare earths and permanent magnets, which are important for energy and defense systems.
In recent years, several instances of potential sabotage to underwater communications cables and gas pipelines have raised concerns about critical infrastructure vulnerabilities.
This strategy is part of the broader EU push to improve security and resilience of 27-country blocks. Last month, General Carsten Breuer, the Secretary of Defense, warned that Russia could attack EU member states within the next four years.
The high-risk environment was driven by “an increase in activity from hacktivists, cybercriminals and state-sponsored groups,” the document said.
The EU is also more susceptible to climate change impacts than many other regions. It warms twice the world average. Crete’s wildfires forced 5,000 people to evacuate the island this week.
In a report commissioned by the EU in October, former Finnish President Sauri Niinist said security should be considered “the public interest” and called for a preparatory mindset.
In stockpiling, he said Brussels “we need to define targets to ensure the lowest level of preparation in a variety of crisis scenarios, such as when armed aggression or massive disruption in the global supply chain.”
In March, the EU also advised households to stockpile critical supplies to survive the crisis of at least 72 hours.
The block already maintains a fleet of firefighters and helicopters, including field hospitals and critical medical supplies in 22 EU countries, medical evacuation aircraft, and regional hospitals and important medical supplies as part of an emergency response effort for natural disasters.
However, the committee said it would establish a “stopping network” to improve coordination between EU countries. “There was a limited common understanding of what essential products are needed for crisis preparation against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving risk environment.”
We also begin compiling a periodically updated list of essential supplies tailored to each region and crisis type. Member States said they need to further encourage the private sector to support stockpiling through tax credits.
Blocks also need to work with allies in “shared warehouses” to better coordinate resources management with NATO and dual-use infrastructure.
The need for critical stockpiling investments will also be considered in the proposal for a new perennial budget, due to be proposed later this month.
The draft document is scheduled to be published next week and may change prior to the presentation.
