EU urged to build stockpiles to prepare for pandemic, natural disaster or invasion – The Guardian

European Commission Report on Strategic Preparedness and Resilience

The European Commission has released its first strategy on strategic stockpiling, recommending that European Union member states develop reserves of essential goods to enhance preparedness for major crises such as military conflicts, pandemics, or natural disasters. This initiative aims to fortify the bloc’s resilience by ensuring the availability of critical supplies, directly aligning with and advancing several key United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

The strategy places significant emphasis on safeguarding public health, a core tenet of SDG 3. Actions to support this goal include:

• Developing strategic stockpiles of essential medicines and medical technologies to prevent shortages during health emergencies.
• Establishing a list of priority medicines for joint procurement or stockpiling by 2026, learning from the supply chain failures during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Developing a wastewater monitoring system to act as an early warning radar for infectious diseases, strengthening the capacity for early warning and risk reduction of national and global health threats (Target 3.d).
• Doubling the budget to €200m by 2027 for a loan scheme, backed by the European Investment Bank, to foster innovation in medicines and medical technologies.

SDG 11 & SDG 13: Sustainable Communities and Climate Action

The report addresses the need to build resilient communities capable of withstanding environmental and man-made disasters, which is central to SDG 11 and acknowledges the growing impact of climate change as outlined in SDG 13.

• The plan calls for stockpiling emergency supplies such as water purification products, generators, and mobile bridges to support communities during crises.
• It acknowledges the intensifying threat of climate-driven disasters, such as the European wildfire season, and recommends augmenting the existing EU fleet with additional helicopters and light planes to protect newly threatened areas (Target 11.5).

SDG 9 & SDG 12: Resilient Infrastructure and Responsible Production

The strategy promotes the development of resilient infrastructure and more responsible, efficient management of resources, in line with SDG 9 and SDG 12.

• Recommendations include stockpiling equipment to repair critical infrastructure, such as undersea cables.
• By 2026, the EU plans to establish a critical raw materials centre to facilitate joint procurement on behalf of member states, promoting efficient resource use and stable supply chains.

SDG 16 & SDG 17: Peace, Strong Institutions, and Partnerships

The initiative is fundamentally about building strong, collaborative institutions capable of maintaining peace and stability, reflecting the aims of SDG 16 and SDG 17.

• The strategy strengthens the EU’s institutional capacity to manage a wide range of threats, including hybrid attacks and geopolitical conflicts.
• It is built on a foundation of partnership (SDG 17), encouraging member states to collaborate on joint procurement and strategic stockpiling, drawing inspiration from prepared nations like Finland, Estonia, and the Czech Republic.

Strategic Recommendations and Implementation Timeline

Key Recommendations for Member States

1. Develop national stockpiles of medicine, generators, and critical raw materials.
2. Consider emergency supplies of water purification products, drones, and mobile bridges for conflict or disaster scenarios.
3. Bolster readiness for health emergencies, including pandemics, antimicrobial resistance, and chemical, nuclear, or biological threats.

EU-Level Implementation Plan

1. By 2026: Establish a critical raw materials centre to organise joint purchasing and stockpiling.
2. By 2026: Finalise a list of prioritised medicines and medical technologies for stockpiling or joint procurement.
3. By 2027: Double the European Investment Bank loan scheme for innovative medical technologies to €200m.

Rationale and Context

Lessons from Past Crises

The strategy is a direct response to recent global events. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed severe vulnerabilities in supply chains, leading to competitive scrambles for medical supplies among member states. This plan seeks to create a coordinated system to prevent such shortages in the future.

Evolving Threat Landscape

The urgency of the strategy is underscored by an evolving threat landscape. Hadja Lahbib, the EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, stated, “hybrid attacks, power blackouts, extreme weather and spreading diseases… are no longer distant risks.” Furthermore, geopolitical tensions, including warnings that Russia could pose a military threat to Europe within years, have moved preparedness to the “frontline of our defence.”

Relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The article discusses issues that are directly and indirectly connected to several Sustainable Development Goals. The EU’s strategy for preparedness against various crises touches upon health, infrastructure, climate action, and peace.

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The article’s core focus is on preparing for health emergencies, such as pandemics, and ensuring the availability of medical supplies.
• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation: The strategy includes stockpiling water and water purification products to ensure access during crises.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: The plan involves bolstering infrastructure resilience (undersea cables, mobile bridges) and fostering innovation in medical technologies.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities: The overall theme is making communities resilient to disasters, including natural disasters, industrial accidents, and attacks.
• SDG 13: Climate Action: The article explicitly mentions preparing for climate-related hazards like “extreme weather” and intensifying “wildfire season.”
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions: The strategy is a direct response to geopolitical threats, aiming to strengthen institutional capacity to protect citizens from conflicts and “hybrid attacks.”

Specific SDG Targets Identified

Based on the article’s content, the following specific targets can be identified:

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.d: Strengthen the capacity of all countries… for early warning, risk reduction and management of national and global health risks.
     
     Explanation: The article details the EU’s plan to bolster “readiness for a health emergency, such as a pandemic, antimicrobial resistance, chemical, nuclear or biological threats.” The development of a “wastewater monitoring system that would act like an early warning radar” is a direct measure to improve early warning capabilities. Stockpiling medicine is a key part of managing health risks.

2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

   • Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure… to support economic development and human well-being.
     
     Explanation: The strategy considers emergency supplies for “equipment to repair undersea cables” and “mobile bridges for use in conflicts,” which are examples of building resilient infrastructure to function during a crisis.
   • Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors… encouraging innovation.
     
     Explanation: The article mentions a “loan scheme backed by the European Investment Bank to encourage small companies and startups to develop innovative medicines and medical technologies,” with a budget that will be “doubled to €200m by 2027.” This is a direct investment in innovation and technological capability.

3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.b: …adopt and implement integrated policies and plans towards… disaster risk reduction…
     
     Explanation: The article describes the EU’s “first-ever strategy on stockpiling” as a comprehensive plan to prepare for a range of disasters, from military invasions and pandemics to natural disasters and power cuts. This represents an integrated policy for disaster risk reduction at a regional level.

4. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.
     
     Explanation: The strategy directly addresses threats from “extreme weather” and the intensifying “European wildfire season.” The plan to add “additional helicopters or light planes” to the existing fleet of firefighting aircraft is a specific action to strengthen adaptive capacity to climate-related disasters.

5. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.a: Strengthen relevant national institutions… to build capacity at all levels… to prevent violence…
     
     Explanation: The entire strategy is an effort by the European Commission, a key institution, to build capacity among member states to withstand and prepare for crises, including “military invasion” and “hybrid attacks.” This institutional strengthening is aimed at preventing the worst outcomes of conflict.

Indicators for Measuring Progress

The article mentions or implies several indicators that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets:

• For Target 3.d:
  • The establishment and operational status of the “wastewater monitoring system.”
  • The creation and regular updating of “a list of medicines and medical technologies to be prioritised for stockpiling or joint procurement” by 2026.
• For Target 9.5:
  • The total budget allocated to the loan scheme for innovative medicines, with the specific goal of reaching “€200m by 2027.”
• For Target 11.b:
  • The existence of national and EU-level stockpiles of essential goods (“medicine, generators and raw materials”).
  • The creation of “regularly updated non-exhaustive lists of essential goods tailored to different crises.”
• For Target 13.1:
  • The number of “firefighting planes and helicopters” in the EU’s fleet, including the procurement of “additional helicopters or light planes.”
• For Target 16.a:
  • The formal adoption and implementation of the EU’s “first-ever strategy on stockpiling.”
  • The establishment of a “critical raw materials centre” by 2026.

Summary of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: theguardian.com