Europe is entering a new phase of preparedness as crises are becoming more frequent, as it becomes more interconnected and unpredictable
From climate-related disasters and health emergencies to cyber threats and geopolitical shocks, the European Union is strengthening its capacity to anticipate, withstand, and recover from disruption. Preparedness is no longer seen as a reactive procedure but instead as a continuous, shared responsibility spanning institutions, sectors, and societies.
In March 2025, the European Commission launched the EU Preparedness Union Strategy, establishing a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to risk management.
Instead of relying on a singular model, the EU Preparedness Union Strategy recognises that preparedness must be adaptable to national and regional realities.
As part of the EU Preparedness Union Strategy, the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) plays a key role by managing EU-funded projects that reinforce resilience across health, digital, industrial, and space domains.
Controlling crises before they escalate
Early awareness is key to effective EU preparedness. As conflicts, climate impacts, and food insecurity increasingly drive instability and displacement, Europe is investing in tools that improve real-time understanding of emerging risks. The project THEIA combines satellite imagery, non-space data, and geospatial artificial intelligence to detect anomalies and map evolving threats.
Delivered through a cloud-based platform compatible with Copernicus Security Services, THEIA supports EU and national actors with timely, actionable intelligence. By strengthening Europe’s independent Earth observation capabilities, the project helps decision-makers anticipate crises rather than simply react to them.
Digital resilience for healthcare systems
EU preparedness also depends on the ability of essential services to keep operating during disruption. In Finland, the Hola 5G Oulu project has introduced a private 5G network within a hospital environment, a first in Europe. The secure, high-capacity network supports mission-critical medical activities, including real-time patient monitoring, remote clinical support, and rapid access to health data.
By improving cybersecurity and operational continuity, the project shows how advanced digital infrastructure can directly strengthen healthcare resilience. The model creates a blueprint for hospitals across the EU.
Protecting critical infrastructure with AI
Artificial intelligence is increasingly used to support the management of complex systems. AI4REALNET is developing AI solutions to enhance the resilience and safety of electricity grids, railway networks, and air traffic systems.
The project brings together supervised and reinforcement learning with human-in-the-loop decision-making, ensuring that AI complements, rather than replaces, human expertise.
Testing across six real-world use cases, the project addresses challenges such as decarbonisation, digitalisation, and system resilience, helping operators manage critical infrastructure more effectively under stress.
Safeguarding the information space
Crises also affect the flow of information, where disinformation can undermine trust and response efforts. The BECID2 project strengthens resilience to disinformation in the Baltic region through coordinated action among media, researchers, fact-checkers and policymakers. It also supports targeted media literacy initiatives and promotes critical thinking at the individual level, using AI-supported verification tools and open-source intelligence methods.
Building long-term health preparedness
Health preparedness remains an important step towards EU resilience. A new Union plan launched in late 2025 and strengthened crisis governance across all phases of health emergencies. Under EU4Health and Horizon Europe, HaDEA manages projects that reinforce long-term readiness, including BE READY, which has laid the groundwork for a European partnership on pandemic preparedness.
Its successor, BE READY NOW, focuses on coordinated research funding, “ever-warm” research infrastructures, and rapid mobilisation in response to emerging threats.
From vaccines to medical countermeasures
Rapid access to vaccines and medical countermeasures is also important in emergencies. The EU FAB network maintains ready-to-activate vaccine manufacturing capacity across Europe, while new EU4Health projects support advanced respiratory protection, cleaner pharmaceutical production, antiviral mRNA technologies, and strategic stockpiling.
Overall, these projects show how EU preparedness is built through many interconnected efforts. By investing across technology, health, infrastructure, and information, the EU is reinforcing its ability to face future crises with greater confidence and resilience.
