Denmark told to be ‘totally prepared’ for crisis situation

Denmark must have “total emergency preparedness” in place to secure the public, authorities, businesses and civil society in the event of a major incident, crisis, catastrophe or war, Minister for Emergency Preparedness Torsten Schack Pedersen warned on Friday.

“Total preparedness means that we must all work together to strengthen Denmark’s resilience,” Schack said at a press briefing.

Denmark is currently the only Nordic country without an overarching strategy for ensuring social and civil security in the event of a major incident.

Instead, individual authorities plan response protocols within their own sectors, a model that developed after the Cold War when fears over international security threats eased.

However, this could mean a lack of ability to coordinate between sectors if and when needed.

While authorities are responsible for protecting vital societal structures, individuals must also take responsibility for their own and others’ safety in a potential crisis, according to the minister.

“There is a role to play for individual members of the public, businesses and public authorities alike, so that we all contribute to making our society resilient,” Schack said.

“It is important that, as members of the public, we take personal responsibility and are able to manage on our own for 72 hours in a crisis situation if required,” he said.

Authorities in 2024 issued advice for the general public to have certain supplies at home so that they are prepared in the event of a crisis.

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Concerns have previously been raised about where responsibility would lie should a crisis hit several vital sectors. Experts have questioned how well Denmark would be able to cope, for instance, with a major power blackout such as the one that hit parts of Spain and Portugal in 2025.

‘Capitulation’: How would Denmark cope in a Spain-like power blackout?

One point of criticism is that no single individual or authority could assume overall responsibility and force decisions in such a situation in Denmark.

The government believes that the existing division of this responsibility between sectors must be reformed in light of complex and numerous threats faced by Denmark currently.

A budget of 1.2 billion kroner was set aside in January to ensure an emergency supply of electricity. Authorities are also reported to believe Denmark’s water grid is under threat from potential sabotage.

CHECKLIST: The emergency supplies Denmark advises you to stock up on

“There are attempts at cyberattacks on our water sector every single day. We must prevent and manage hybrid threats and restore the water supply if such a threat materialises,” Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke said at the briefing.

Stricter requirements for the water sector encompassing both physical and cyber security will be introduced, Heunicke said. Funding will also be allocated to ensure a rapid response to secure clean drinking water if a crisis occurs.

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The executive director of the Danish Emergency Management Organization (Danske Beredskaber), a national association for municipal emergency services, Bjarner Nigaard, said emergency response services must be upgraded with equipment and training to secure effective crisis response.

A broader strategy and concrete cross-sector plans still need to be put in place to achieve this, he said.

“This will only work if we have cross-sector plans with aligned requirements that we have practised and tested,” Nigaard said at the briefing.

“And if something then goes wrong in this context, someone must also be able to explain what we do next.

“This requires planning above the level of sector responsibility,” Nigaard said.