Dutch Justice and Security Minister David van Weel said on Wednesday that citizens need to prepare to manage “without the central government” in case of a “real conflict.”
The Dutch Justice and Security Minister David van Weel issued a recommendation on Wednesday for all citizens to compile 72-hour emergency kits in case of a natural disaster, cyber attack or war.
It is an update to existing advice to have a kit at home which lasts at least 48 hours. Items that citizens are recommended to have include cash, canned food, water and batteries.
This advice has existed 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 just 15% of Dutch people had one.
The numbers show that recent advice from the Dutch government, as well as the Red Cross, is taking effect.
Just 17% of people surveyed in the study found that it wasn’t necessary to own an emergency kit. They cited safety, electricity cuts and floods as main reasons to get one.
But Van Weel is urging for increased awareness about its necessity, making a comparison to the mindset during the Cold War. “Back then we knew what to do the moment the air alarm would go off,” he told local newspaper De Telegraaf, adding that civil defence was “dismantled” after the fall of the Berlin wall and with it “the entire civilian resilience.”
His comments come as EU leaders meet in Brussels to discuss spending more on defence in light of increasing uncertainty about Europe’s security surrounding developments in Ukraine. Van Weel said “the commitment to civilian resilience must now increase at the same rate across Europe.”
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed a plan to loosen budget rules so countries that are willing can spend more on defence. Her proposal is underpinned by €150 billion worth of loans to buy priority military equipment.
Most of the increased defence spending would have to come from national budgets at a time when many countries are already overburdened with debt.
The Dutch minister also referenced Europe’s vulnerability if it cannot count on the US for full support. The Trump administration this week announced a pause on all aid for Ukraine as well as intelligence sharing.
“We are realising that the world is drastically changing,” van Weel said on Dutch radio. He added that if there is a “real conflict,” the national government could be primarily focused on the “deployment of armed forces and the defence of our country.” In that case, the population would need to be able to “manage for a while without the national government, doing all it can.”
The Dutch government will publish detailed information on what it recommends people to 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 as well as the government itself.
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