France will send a survival guide to its citizens to prepare them for war or disaster.

ParisThe French government is developing a twenty-page "survival manual" for citizens so they know how to act in the event of a war in the country or any other serious crisis, be it a natural disaster, a nuclear leak, or a pandemic. The news has been leaked by some media outlets and confirmed by government sources. The government has not yet decided whether it will print the guide and send it to all homes or publish it online for everyone to access, according to France Info.

To develop the manual, France was inspired by Sweden, a country that in 2018—when tensions with Russia increased, but well before the start of the war in Ukraine— resumed sending guides to citizens to prepare them for an armed conflictThe document originates from World War II and was also used during the Cold War. At the end of 2024, the Swedish government updated and reissued the guides in response to the Russian threat and Donald Trump's victory in the US elections.

However, France Info points out that the French manual will not focus so much on the fear of war, but will instead "emphasize collective resilience" in the face of a wide range of crises. "It's not about alarming the French, but rather preparing them to know how to deal with various emergency situations, whether natural, technological, or security-related," the newspaper states. Le Figaro citing government sources.

Better prepare the country

According to the Élysée Palace, the idea of developing this manual emerged in 2022, after the COVID pandemic, but three years later it had still not materialized. It is now, when the threat to Europe's security grows, when the government decided to rescue the guide. "It's about better preparing the country, its businesses, and its citizens to face serious crises," say the same sources cited by the conservative newspaper.

Among other recommendations, the crisis manual asks the French to prepare a "kit "survival kit" in case of a crisis, which should be kept at home in an accessible place. In this kit There must be at least six liters of bottled water, a dozen cans of preserves, a battery-operated radio, a flashlight, a cell phone charger, medication, warm clothing, and games for entertainment, among other things.

In addition to Sweden, Other Nordic countries, very close to Russian territory, such as Finland and Norway, have also decided to prepare the population for an armed attack with guides offering advice to the population.There are also European countries considering bringing back compulsory military service. For now, France has ruled it out but is considering other options to strengthen its navy. Spain also isn't considering bringing it back.

Expand the military reserve

President Emmanuel Macron has asked the government and the general staff to present proposals for "mobilizing young people" before May. Macron's idea is to expand the reservist corps with young volunteers. In a speech a few days ago, the president insisted that "the accumulation of threats" is forcing France to adapt and proposed reinforcing the army with young volunteers who would join professional soldiers if necessary.

In any case, Macron ruled out reintroducing compulsory military service, abolished in 1996. "It's not a realistic option," he stated in an interview with the French regional press. There is no infrastructure to accommodate 800,000 young people each year, and the cost of the measure would be very high. The president's opinion is not shared by everyone: the French seem overwhelmingly in favor of reviving military service. According to an Ipsos survey, 86% of citizens surveyed would support the reinstatement of military service, although only 53% would like it to be mandatory.

On the contrary, Macron believes that expanding the reserve's ranks is feasible. The idea would be to increase the number of reservists from the current 43,700 to 80,000 by 2030. The president also wants to reform the Universal National Service (SNU), a civilian service aimed at young people between the ages of fifteen and seventeen, whose objective is to "strengthen national cohesion." Participating youth receive twelve days of training and then participate in a mission of "general interest" and a period of volunteering with an NGO or association. The French press wonders whether Macron's plans involve reorienting the SNU toward recruiting and training young people who want to join the military reserve.