The EU is launching a European campaign to prepare for disasters

On Tuesday, International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction, the European Union is launching the “Act as one: Prepare today. Ready for tomorrow.” campaign. The initiative will run until December 2026 in Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania, and aims to increase preparedness and solidarity in emergency situations.

The campaign will include digital materials, social media content, video portraits of rescuers and media partnerships. The EU wants to explain more clearly how it supports member states in disaster prevention, early warning, team training and response coordination.

The need for these measures is highlighted by the scale of the risks. In 2026, wildfires affected more than 669,000 hectares in Europe, while floods cause estimated annual economic losses of €8.6 billion. Romania was severely affected by Storm Boris, which brought more than 150 litres of rainfall per square metre in less than 24 hours in September 2024, particularly in Galați and Vaslui.

Through MODEX exercises and the pre-positioning of teams, the EU is strengthening cross-border cooperation. In 2026, 40 Romanian firefighters and eight vehicles were deployed in France to fight the fire in Pontaves, while Romania also took part in operations in Greece.

For the 2021–2027 period, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has a budget of €3.6 billion. The European Preparedness Strategy, adopted in March 2025, also addresses health crises, power outages, cyberattacks and cross-border threats.