Public opinion, however, tells a more complicated story. A Euronews survey of nearly 10,000 respondents across the EU revealed a striking disconnect between government preparedness and civilian willingness to fight. Roughly three-quarters of participants said they would not take up arms to defend EU borders, while fewer than one in five expressed readiness to do so. Yet this reluctance is not uniform. In countries geographically closer to Russia, threat perception is far more pronounced. In Poland, Lithuania, and Denmark, majorities identify Russian military pressure as the leading national security concern, surpassing economic instability and energy shortages. These nations are responding by placing a strong emphasis on civilian resilience and defense awareness.

Eastern Europe and the Nordic region have effectively become testing grounds for a new model of societal defense. Lithuania is investing in border surveillance systems and drone-based defenses, while cooperating with Latvia to modify terrain in ways that could slow armored advances. Public preparedness campaigns have become routine: Lithuanian citizens have received shelter guides and emergency contact information, Latvia has introduced mandatory defense education in schools, and Poland has expanded security training programs for youth. Sweden, meanwhile, revived Cold War-era practices by distributing “If Crisis or War Comes” manuals to every household, offering guidance on evacuations, power disruptions, and emergency supplies. Online behavior reflects this heightened awareness, with searches related to shelters and evacuation planning surging throughout 2025.

At the EU level, coordination efforts are reaching historic proportions. Defense spending across Europe surpassed €300 billion in 2024, and draft budget plans for 2028–2034 allocate €131 billion to defense and aerospace—five times more than in previous cycles. A cornerstone of this effort is the “Readiness 2030” strategy, which seeks to overcome Europe’s fragmented military logistics. Central to the plan is the creation of a “Military Schengen,” enabling rapid cross-border movement of troops and equipment—within three days under normal conditions and as little as six hours during emergencies. Achieving this will require upgrading roughly 500 critical infrastructure sites, from bridges to rail corridors, at an estimated cost approaching €100 billion.