Warsaw (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – EU Commissioner Hadja Lahbib to make a trip to Poland to check on EU strategic reserves.
Hadja Lahbib, European Union Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, will travel to Poland tomorrow and Saturday, 10 and 11 January. She will engage with Minister for Equality Katarzyna Kotula and Minister of the Interior Tomasz Siemoniak to talk about, among other items, the future European Union preparedness strategy and the action plan on women’s rights.
As reported by the EU Commission, as part of her visit, Commissioner Lahbib will also explore the warehouse housing the strategic reserves of rescEU response capacities, including generators. Since February 2022, more than 153,000 tonnes of aid have been sent to Ukraine from this rescEU warehouse through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Fully supported by the EU, rescEU seeks to protect citizens from tragedies and manage emerging risks by supporting European preparedness and emergency response capability in Europe.
Furthermore, the EU Commissioner will attend the EU Medical Evacuation Platform (Medevac) in Rzeszów. The platform serves as a safe space for patients coming from Ukraine before continuing their journey to hospitals in another European nation. Since the system was implemented, nearly 4,000 patients have been repositioned in European hospitals.
What is the role of strategic reserves in European preparedness?
The European Union has created several strategic reserves with the purpose of boosting energy security and preparedness in cases of emergencies. The EU requires member states to hold strategic petroleum reserves equivalent to at least 90 days of average domestic consumption. This is done to protect from supply disruptions and energy security in times of crisis. Assets included everything from firefighting planes and medical evacuation resources to stockpiles of medical equipment.
As part of transitioning into renewable energy, the EU will develop strategic reserves for hydrogen and its derivatives. The proposed strategic hydrogen reserve shall consist of 25% annual demand, an approximate 1.7 million tonnes by 2030 and a balancing reserve at 1 million tonnes. It cushions price shocks and supports a clean hydrogen economy.
