An op-ed by CoE Director Johanna Sumuvuori

Europe’s security environment is undergoing profound change. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, growing geopolitical tensions, hybrid threats, cyberattacks and climate-related crises have fundamentally reshaped the European security landscape. In this new reality, preparedness and resilience are no longer issues for governments to address only when a crisis arrives. They must become a shared European priority. 

The central challenge is that preparedness remains rooted in national systems. Historical experiences, geography, political culture, governance structures and perceptions of risk all shape how different European Union Member States prepare. These differences matter, and European cooperation should not seek to replace national responsibility or impose a single model where one does not fit. 

But many of today’s challenges do not respect national borders. External crises can have direct consequences for the security and resilience of EU Member States, while hybrid activities, cyber threats and other cross-border disruptions increasingly blur the distinction between internal and external security. Europe therefore needs capable national systems and closer cooperation at European level. 

For example, the Nordic Countries and Germany offer useful examples of why both matter. Their approaches to strategic resilience and comprehensive preparedness have been shaped by very different circumstances. Rather than asking which model should prevail, Europe should ask what can be learned from each — and which practices can strengthen preparedness elsewhere, while recognising that solutions cannot simply be transferred from one national system to another. 

European cooperation can add real value where challenges are inherently cross-border. The EU’s Preparedness Union Strategy, cooperation between EU institutions and Member States, and instruments such as the civilian crisis management missions working under the Common Security and Defence Policy (civilian CSDP) help connect national preparedness with wider European security and resilience. Experiences in Europe's Eastern neighbourhood, particularly in Ukraine, demonstrate clearly how developments beyond the EU can affect preparedness within the Union. Working on issues such as managing hybrid threats or countering Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (FIMI), CSDP missions in Moldova, Armenia and Ukraine help contain threats and hostile influence before they can spill over into the EU. 

Yet governments cannot build resilience alone. Citizens, civil society organisations, volunteers, businesses, critical infrastructure operators and local communities all have important roles in anticipating, responding to, and recovering from crises. Effective preparedness depends on cooperation across public, private, and civic sectors — and on trust, communication, access to information and resources, and the inclusion of different groups within society. 

The goal, then, should not be uniformity. It should be a more coherent European approach to preparedness: one that connects national systems, European cooperation, and societal resilience while respecting Member State responsibilities and institutional diversity. 

In an age of polycrisis, preparedness is ultimately about recognising that security is interconnected. Europe will be more resilient not when every country prepares in the same way, but when national strengths, European capabilities, and societal capacity reinforce one another. Working together and building partnerships within the EU and beyond, we are better prepared for the future. After all, the EU’s security perimeter extends beyond its physical borders. Time to build those links and work together is right now, the next crisis will not wait for us.