European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Closing Speech by Commissioner Lahbib at the EU Preparedness Conference Brussels, 24 March 2026 Allow me start by thanking you for all your ideas and your leadership over these past two days. You brought your experience, solutions, and fresh thinking. It made a real difference. That energy gives us momentum to keep pushing forward because one thing is certain: peo...
European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Closing Speech by Commissioner Lahbib at the EU Preparedness Conference Brussels, 24 March 2026 Allow me start by thanking you for all your ideas and your leadership over these past two days. You brought your experience, solutions, and fresh thinking. It made a real difference. That energy gives us momentum to keep pushing forward because one thing is certain: people are watching. They are asking for one thing: a leadership that protects them and gives them the means and the confidence to act. This is not just about institutions reacting quickly when disaster strikes. It is about helping people understand risks, preparing them in practical ways, and making them a part of the response, rather than watching from the sidelines. Yesterday we heard a great example from the Swedish State Secretary. In Sweden, they have two preparedness guides: one for citizens, one for companies. Two layers of protection. That is something we can learn from across Europe. Over these two days, we looked reality in the eye. We know the risks, from natural disasters and hybrid threats to drones, cyberattacks, and the power of AI to destabilise. These risks are very different, but their impact is the same: disruption for our societies. What we heard from the Ukrainian Minister yesterday was especially powerful. Before Russia's full- scale invasion, Ukraine had preparedness plans in place. They were ready “on paper”. But the reality was very different. The reality of war quickly tested their plans. Threats evolved overnight. Technology moved at lightning speed. Drones, for example, reshaped the battlefield almost instantly. Ukraine's strength was not that its plans were perfect, but rather its ability to adapt them, fast, again and again. There is a clear lesson for us in Europe. Preparedness cannot be static. It is a constant effort. It must be flexible and able to adapt quickly to today's unpredictable threats. In our democracies, this cannot be imposed from above. It must be understood, supported, and owned by the entire society. Our goal is clear: when a crisis hits, people must be safe. Society must keep running. Hospitals working, lights and heating on, water flowing, and food on the table. That is what preparedness means in practice. That is resilience. On Sunday, I attended the ten-year commemoration of the attacks here in Brussels. We heard painful testimonies from survivors and families. One story stayed with me. A woman who learned her husband had died by seeing his name on a list on a hospital door. Every crisis is made up of painful moments like this. When systems are not ready, when the response and suport is not adapter, the human cost is even greater. We must learn from this and not repeat the same mistakes. Preparedness is about reducing suffering when it matters most. This is why our entire society must be better prepared. Yesterday's discussions also showed the importance of civilians and the military working together. Civilians and the military may seem like two different worlds, but we share the same mission: keeping people safe. Together with our Member States, we are focusing on where this cooperation is most critical and where the EU can make a real difference. We also heard a clear message on spending. Every euro we spend should make us safer. That is the idea behind preparedness by design, building it into our policies and investments right from the start because preparedness saves money. Most importantly, it saves lives. I am also encouraged to hear the private sector is committed to this collective effort. You are a crucial part of keeping our communities safe. You run our supply chains and our critical infrastructure. That is why our new Preparedness Task Force will bring public authorities, businesses, and civil society around the same table. Building this new preparedness mindset is not just the job of governments. We need everyone on board, working together, building trust. This is a new way of thinking. It takes us out of our comfort zone. But that's a good thing because it is how we change and get better. We already have clear examples of what works. We have done it. Civil society, volunteers, and national civil protection teams working together to save lives. We saw it in action just last summer during Europe's worst wildfire season in decades. Our Civil Protection Mechanism was activated 18 times to support Member States. Hundreds of firefighters from across Europe came together to fight fires side by side with national teams and local volunteers. They spoke different languages, but they all had the same mission. They were trained and ready. They knew exactly what to do. They shared something stronger than words: trust. And that trust saved lives. I saw it myself in Spain and Greece. That is solidarity in action, and we need more of it across Europe. Our Preparedness Strategy gives us a clear plan of action. Now we must deliver. Later this year, we will present a full EU risk and threat assessment, a clear picture of what we are facing. Crises don't come neatly one by one. They can hit at the same time, and like dominoes they spread across sectors. A flood can cut roads, power, and access. A cyberattack can freeze banks, trains, and hospitals. A blackout can bring everything to a stop. So we must be ready. The EU has a key role to play in bringing everything together, like the conductor of an orchestra, making sure everyone plays their part so the whole system works together. People need to know what to do in a crisis to protect their families, take care of the most vulnerable, and cope in those first critical hours and days. That is why we will publish our Minimum Preparedness Requirements this year. Simple. Measurable. Actionable. Just this month, we have seen how the EU can make a real difference for people in a moment of crisis. When war broke out in the Middle East, the EU jumped into action. 23 European countries activated our EU Civil Protection Mechanism to bring their citizens home safe and sound. Over 13,000 people, nearly 100 flights. But the impact of this conflict does not stop at transport. It hits energy, supply chains, the environment, and much more. That is why we need stronger coordination and why we are proposing an EU Crisis Coordination Hub. This Hub will help us to connect the dots, share information, and act across sectors, not in silos, and to do it fast. This year we will also propose a Climate Adaptation Plan with practical tools, from mapping flood zones to early warning systems for heatwaves and wildfires. We are investing in young people, in skills, training, and through exchanges. We are also strengthening the science behind our policies through our European Centre of Expertise on Research Security. I have seen preparedness across Europe and far beyond, in Ukraine, Sweden, Greece, Finland, Bangladesh, Panama, and Colombia. Different countries with different risks. But they all have one thing in common: preparedness works when people work together. Being prepared is not a Brussels project. It is a shared European responsibility. Thank you again for your ideas and your inspiring energy. I hope you will take this energy back home because it is contagious. It will inspire your family, your friends, your entire community. That is how change happens. One friend at a time, one family at a time, starting small, and building big. I count on you to keep this conversation going. We will meet again in November at the Civil Protection Forum to keep up this strong momentum. People want a safer, stronger Europe. Together we will deliver. SPEECH/26/704
Speech Brief