The European Commission’s new EU Preparedness Union Strategy launched on 26 March outlines 30 actions to strengthen Europe’s ability to respond to emerging crises—from disinformation and cyber threats to natural disasters. Taking a broader cross-sectoral approach, education and youth are included in this agenda, with a focus on fostering a ‘culture of preparedness by design’ across EU policies. 

In the field of education, the new strategy proposes integrating preparedness into school curricula (starting with early childhood education), and offering professional development for teachers via the European School Education Platform. It also calls for promoting media literacy as a core skill for informed citizenship. A new preparedness priority will be introduced in EU programmes, including Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps, to support civic engagement, democratic participation, and practical resilience. 

These measures align with the broader goals of the Union of Skills (for more details, see ACA Newsletter – Education Europe, March 2025), reflecting the EU’s growing recognition of education and youth as central actors in strengthening societal preparedness. Institutions across all education sectors will be able to apply for upcoming related EU funding.