'Civil protection must be increased' - Why is the Netherlands recommending that citizens take 72-hour emergency supplies?!
The Dutch Minister of Justice and Security, David van Weel, issued a recommendation for all citizens to compile 72-hour emergency kits in the event of a natural disaster, cyberattack or war.
It is an update to existing advice to have a kit at home that lasts at least 48 hours. Items recommended for citizens to have include cash, canned food, water and batteries.
This advice has been around for years, and a recent study by research firm Ipsos I&O shows that a quarter of the Dutch population owns an emergency kit. This is a significant increase from 2024, when only 15% of the Dutch had one.
The numbers show that recent advice from the Dutch government, as well as the Red Cross, is taking effect. Only 17% of people surveyed in the study found it unnecessary to own an emergency kit. They cited safety, power outages and flooding as the main reasons for carrying one.
But Van Weel is calling for increased awareness of its necessity, drawing a comparison to the mentality during the Cold War. "Back then we knew what to do the moment the air raid siren went off," he told local newspaper De Telegraaf, adding that civil protection had been "dismantled " after the fall of the Berlin Wall and with it " all civil stability."
His comments come as EU leaders meet in Brussels to discuss more defense spending in light of growing uncertainty about Europe's security over developments in Ukraine. Van Weel said "commitment to civilian resilience must now increase at the same pace across Europe."
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed a plan to ease budget rules so that countries that are willing can spend more on defense. Her proposal is backed by 150 billion euros in loans to buy priority military equipment.
Most of the increase in defense spending would have to come from national budgets at a time when many countries are already burdened with debt.
The Dutch minister also referred to Europe's vulnerability if it cannot count on the US for full support. The Trump administration this week announced a pause on all aid to Ukraine, as well as intelligence sharing.
" We are realizing that the world is changing drastically," van Weel told Dutch radio. He added that if there is a " real conflict ," the national government could focus primarily on "deploying armed forces and defending our country." In that case, the population would have to be able to "manage for a while without the national government, doing everything it can."
The Dutch government will publish detailed information on what it recommends people keep at home in their emergency kits. At the same time, van Weel said preparations are being made to strengthen five sectors: food and water, electricity, healthcare, infrastructure, and the government itself.
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