Ten European countries agree on cross-border evacuation plan

2026-03-05 13:27:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Ten Northern European countries have agreed to draw up plans for the possible cross-border evacuation of citizens in the event of war or another crisis.

Sweden's defense ministry said the agreement had been reached with NATO partners Germany, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland, Iceland and Denmark, to help protect people in the Nordic and Baltic regions in worst-case scenarios.

The plan is based on lessons learned from the war in Ukraine and comes at a time when the latest conflict in the Middle East shows no signs of ending.

"Experience from Ukraine has shown that temporary population movements enable the continued defense of the country, while simultaneously protecting civilians," Sweden's defense ministry said.

Meanwhile, Swedes have been told to make sure they have a reserve of cash on hand to use in case of a crisis. New guidelines from the country's central bank, the Riksbank, recommend that all adults have a week's worth of cash on hand to buy food, medicine and other essentials in emergencies, including war.

It is recommended that ideally, cash is kept in different currencies and that people also have access to different types of bank cards or payment methods in case one system crashes.

"Access to various payment methods improves the public's ability to make payments in the event of temporary disruptions, crises and, in the worst case, war," the bank said.

The crisis plans drawn up by Europe will include details on how evacuees will be housed and registered, transport and travel corridors to facilitate the mass movement of people, and how vulnerable individuals will be cared for. Following the start of the US-Israeli attacks on Iran, various European countries have rushed to evacuate citizens stranded in the region, while the Iranians have targeted a number of nearby countries with missiles and drones.

The German government confirmed on Tuesday that 600 people had already been helped to leave the region. In addition, 250 people have been evacuated with government support, while further flights are planned. Italy has already repatriated 317 Italians on Boeing charter flights and Spain has repatriated 171 of its citizens. The first charter flight of the Britons from Oman failed to take off as planned due to operational reasons. /CNA