EU urges citizens to keep a 72-hour emergency kit, guidance now reaches Italy's government

What the guidance asks households to hold

The European Commission wants households to be able to meet their own needs for at least 72 hours, the period in which power, phone networks or electronic payments could fail. The guidance is a non-binding handbook, and sources stress that no family is obliged to buy anything. Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, who signed the text, presented the guidelines at the ninth European Civil Protection Forum on 3 November. The list starts with drinking water and long-life food that needs little or no cooking, followed by regular medicines and hygiene products. It also covers pet supplies, torches, spare batteries, a power bank and an old mobile phone. Households are advised to keep a small reserve of cash in low-value notes and coins, because shops may be unable to take cards. Everything should be packed into a backpack that is easy to carry.

Why Brussels is pushing preparedness now

The advice is not new in substance. It sits under the Strategy for the Union of Preparedness, which the Commission presented in March 2025 with 30 actions to make citizens, institutions and businesses more ready. A minimum three-day self-sufficiency goal for the population was already among its declared aims. Reports tie the guidance to wars, cyberattacks, public order problems and pandemics, while the document itself cites new geopolitical fault lines, climate change and rapid technological innovation. According to reports, Lahbib wants people to understand risks without being frightened.

Italy's institutions and the awareness campaign

The text was sent to member states at the start of November, and in the days before 10 November it reached Palazzo Chigi. AGI, citing Il Messaggero, reports that Minister for European Affairs Tommaso Foti passed it to the Chamber's Constitutional Affairs Committee. Rai News describes the document as addressed to all European chancelleries and says it calls on governments to run a broad information campaign. That campaign would use advertising, school meetings and well-known public figures, according to the same report. Tgcom24 adds that Brussels asks member states to promote the guidance with spots, influencers and school sessions. Rai News also links the text to recent hacker activity that has worried the Union.

Other countries and expert doubts

Other governments have issued similar guidance. Sources list the British 'Be Ready' guide, the French 'Tous responsables' brochure, and guides in Sweden and the United States. Tgcom24 dates the French brochure to November 2025. Darren Rhodes, founder of UK Prepper Hub, told Metro that official lists are a useful starting point but leave out items such as a portable toilet and a camping stove. He argues that a loss of water supply can make toilet use a serious problem within 24 hours.