BE READY informs European citizens about pandemic preparedness

Awareness

European citizens are largely unaware of the role their institutions play in times of crisis, including epidemics. At least, that is what emerges from the 2024 survey conducted by the Eurobarometer polling instrumentused by the European Union (EU).

An awareness-raising campaign

Between September and November 2025, the BE READY PLUS* consortium carried-out an awareness campaign to introduce the forthcoming EU Pandemic Preparedness Partnership (PPP) to citizens.

The aim of this communication was, first and foremost, to familiarise the public with BE READY NOW ahead of its launch in early 2026 and to explain how the EU is improving preparedness based on recent experience. The other objective was to generate insights into how citizens understand and engage with EU preparedness efforts.

To this end, the consortium published four articles on its website and shared through LinkedIn and partner networks.

Themes of the articles

Each article addressed a different dimension of preparedness, starting with how coordination works, then showing what’s already happening on the ground, moving to how citizens will be better informed, and finishing with what we’ve learned—and how it’s being/will be put to use:

• Foundation – how the EU coordinates preparedness and why shared responsibility matters
• Trust – how reliable information and trusted messengers can strengthen public confidence
• Action – what concrete steps are already being taken to enhance resilience
• Reflection – lessons from COVID-19 and the introduction of the One Health approach

The communication channels used

The campaign relied on a mix of digital and network-based channels to reach citizens and stakeholder communities. The BE READY PLUS website is used for this purpose, as are LinkedIn, newsletters and partner platforms. Civil society is also involved through NGOs and community organisations, especially during relevant awareness-raising days (Health Literacy Month**, One Health Day). Finally, public awareness about epidemic risk benefits from cross-promotion with EU-funded sister projects.

* Building a European strategic Research and Innovation Area in Direct Synergy with EU and International Initiatives for Pandemic Preparedness

** Health literacy refers to how people understand information about health and health care, and how they apply that information to their live