The European Commission announced on October 30, 2026, the creation of a new advisory body — the PreparEU Advisory Group. Its task will be to develop strategic recommendations for EU leadership on enhancing preparedness for natural and man-made disasters. The group will directly advise European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as well as the Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib. The creation of the group is linked to the growing number and intensity of emergency situations across the European Union caused by climate change. This includes increasingly frequent extreme weather events — severe storms, floods, and extreme heat — as well as large-scale wildfires that in recent years have caused significant damage to southern and central European countries. The European Commission emphasized that accelerating climate risks require a more coordinated and strategic approach at the level of the entire union. The new advisory structure is designed to bring together experts from various fields — from emergency management to climatology — to develop long-term solutions for strengthening the resilience of European countries to disasters. The initiative fits into the broader EU policy on strengthening crisis preparedness, for which Commissioner Hadja Lahbib is responsible. The group's recommendations are expected to form the basis of future strategies and funding programs aimed at preventing and mitigating the consequences of disasters in EU member states.