The resilience of a state is its capacity to prepare for, respond effectively to, and recover from events that undermine its vital interests or the essential needs of its population. This requires coordination between public policies, institutions, and civil society to ensure the continued functioning of the country.

Thus, the resilience of a state is its capacity to:

• Anticipate disasters and crises before they occur;
• Withstand shocks without collapsing;
• Adapt quickly to new situations;
• Return to normal functioning after a disruption.

A resilient state protects its citizens, maintains essential services (such as electricity, health and security), and continues to function even in difficult times.

The National Resilience Strategy defines national resilience as the ability of a system, community or society exposed to disruptions to withstand and absorb them, adapt to their impact and recover quickly and effectively, in particular by preserving and restoring its essential societal functions.

A resilient state can:

• effectively protect its population;
• ensure the continuity of essential goods and services;
• limit the negative impacts of disasters or crises;
• maintain social, economic and political stability;
• and strengthen the confidence of citizens and international partners.

Luxembourg's National Resilience Strategy is a global, coordinated and integrated approach that aims to strengthen the country's capacity to deal with all types of risks and threats. It aims to harmonise existing sectoral policies and strategies, involving all relevant stakeholders: institutions and public authorities, civil society actors and the public. The objective is to build a society better prepared to respond effectively to disasters and crises and to quickly return to normal functioning.

This strategy is based on several fundamental principles. It adopts an integrated all-hazards approach, which means that it covers all risks and threats that could affect the country and society. It adopts a whole-of-government approach, mobilising all local and national public actors. At the same time, a whole-of-society approach is adopted, seeking to actively involve all stakeholders in society in disaster and crisis preparedness and response.

The National Resilience Strategy attaches great importance to clear, consistent and transparent communication, which informs citizens, raises their awareness of risks and empowers them. It also encourages the development of a genuine culture of resilience, by integrating the reflexes of preparation and solidarity into everyday practices. Finally, it promotes the concepts of solidarity and autonomy by strengthening individual and collective capacity to deal with emergency situations in a spirit of cooperation, solidarity and shared responsibility.

Given the succession of recent disasters and crises, Luxembourg wishes to strengthen its collective capacity to anticipate, prevent and manage emergency situations. The National Resilience Strategy aims to move beyond isolated approaches, optimise synergy between sectoral policies and strategies, and ensure consistency between national and international initiatives.

Luxembourg is therefore adopting a National Resilience Strategy in order to:

• Guarantee the functioning of the state and the protection of democracy and the rule of law;
• Consolidate the crisis management cycle;
• Open and harmonise the different approaches of the various civil, public and private stakeholders;
• Strengthen civil-military cooperation;
• Ensure vital societal functions;
• Foster a culture of preparedness as well as individual and collective resilience;
• Consolidate the public-private partnership;
• Increase the resilience and competitiveness of the Luxembourg economy;
• Strengthen Luxembourg's cyber resilience capabilities;
• Achieve closer coordination with both allies and international/European organisations.

The High Commission for National Protection (HCPN) was tasked with coordinating the development of the National Resilience Strategy. It collaborated with an interministerial working group to ensure an inclusive and coherent approach.

The key principles of the National Resilience Strategy are:

• All-hazards approach: consideration of all types of risks and threats that may affect the country and society.
• Whole-of-government approach: involvement of all public actors.
• whole-of-society approach: mobilisation of society as a whole.

Clear and consistent communication is essential to inform citizens, raise their awareness of risks and threats, and empower them. The strategy also emphasises preparing and planning, developing effective scenarios and response mechanisms to anticipate disruptions. It encourages the development of a culture of resilience by integrating preparedness and solidarity into everyday practices.

Luxembourg's National Resilience Strategy aims to strengthen the country's capacity to deal with all kinds of disasters and crises, based on an integrated, coordinated and inclusive approach. In order to strengthen Luxembourg's preparedness for disasters, crises or conflicts, the National Resilience Strategy aims to achieve several fundamental objectives:

• Ensure the functioning of the state, as well as the defence of democracy and the rule of law;
• Reinforce the crisis management cycle;
• Overcome the silo mentality among different civil, public and private actors;
• Strengthen civil-military cooperation;
• Ensure the vital functions of society;
• Promote a culture of individual and collective preparation and resilience;
• Consolidate public-private partnerships;
• Increase the resilience and competitiveness of the Luxembourg economy;
• Strengthen Luxembourg's cyberresilience capabilities;
• Ensure closer coordination with allies and European and international organisations.

In line with its fundamental principles, Luxembourg's National Resilience Strategy is based on two interdependent blocks – civil preparedness and military preparedness – and defines eight essential pillars. These elements are complementary, reflecting the interdependence between the various actors and areas of action.

The eight pillars:

1. Defending democracy, the rule of law and government

This pillar aims to ensure that the country's institutions and public authorities can continue to function even in times of disaster and crisis.

2. A resilient society

The objective is to prepare citizens to better cope with disaster and crisis situations.

3. Essential goods and services and critical infrastructure and entities

This pillar concerns the continuity of essential goods and services such as food, drinking water and energy supplies, wastewater treatment, health services, transport, banking services, communication services, and certain public administration services, such as those providing defence, national security, internal security, civil security or social security, which are essential to daily functioning and resilience in the face of disasters and crises. Critical entities are public or private entities that provide at least one essential service and operate at least one critical infrastructure. By virtue of their designation as critical entities, they are recognised as being essential to safeguarding the vital interests and essential needs of the country and its population.

4. A resilient economy

A resilient economy must be able to adapt quickly to disruptions, maintain the continuity of essential goods and services, and meet the essential needs of the population.

5. Integrated management of strategic and logistical resources

In the event of a disaster or crisis, the country's resilience depends on the integrated management of strategic and logistical resources, involving a systemic and dynamic vision of anticipating future needs, adapting to changes in the environment and ensuring continuity of operations in the event of disruptions.

6. Cyber resilience

Cyber resilience, i.e. the ability to anticipate, resist, recover from and adapt to cyber attacks and security incidents, is vital for the stability of the country, the continuity of essential services and the confidence of citizens.

7. Civil defence

Civil defence is an essential pillar of national resilience, aimed at protecting and defending the population in the event of a disaster, crisis or armed conflict. It relies on coordination between civilian and military actors.

8. Protection and defence of the national territory and allies

Faced with the increasing deterioration of the international security environment, Luxembourg must readjust its defence policy. To ensure credible collective deterrence and defence, it is imperative to strengthen military preparedness for deterrence, conflict preparedness and anticipation by adapting to emerging threats, while ensuring national missions are carried out.

This slogan reflects the fundamental spirit of the National Resilience Strategy: it emphasises that protection against disasters and crises relies on collective mobilisation. "Together, for our protection" means that every actor – whether public, private or citizen – has a role to play in preparing, preventing and managing emergency situations.

This involves strengthening solidarity, promoting mutual assistance and developing a shared culture of resilience. Citizens can stay informed, prepare themselves and adopt responsible behaviours, in particular through the tools made available by the government, such as the website www.infocrise.lu for official information in the event of a crisis, or the LU-Alert app for receiving real-time alerts.

This slogan therefore embodies an inclusive and proactive vision: by acting together, everyone contributes to making society stronger, more autonomous, and better prepared for the challenges of tomorrow.

The "defending democracy, the rule of law and the government" refers to all measures aimed at ensuring that Luxembourg's democratic institutions – such as the government, parliament and judicial authorities – can continue to function in a stable and legitimate manner, even in times of disaster and crisis. This involves protecting democratic foundations against various risks and threats. This includes putting in place business continuity plans for the authorities, ensuring geographical separation between the main political authorities, and providing a legal framework adapted to emergency situations, while respecting fundamental rights. This approach aims to preserve democratic sovereignty, maintain citizens' trust in public authorities and guarantee the stability of the state in all circumstances.

The continuity of constitutional bodies refers to the set of defined procedures that enable them to continue their essential activities in the event of disruption.

In the event of a disaster or crisis, it is essential that institutions and public authorities remain functional in order to ensure the stability of the country.

To ensure that institutions continue to function even in times of crisis, several measures are planned. Business continuity plans (BCPs) enable, among other initiatives, administrations and constitutional bodies to continue performing their essential tasks. Geographical separation of key political authorities can limit risks in the event of a localised attack or disaster. A specific legal framework will also be put in place to enable rapid and effective action, while respecting fundamental rights and the Constitution.

The combat against disinformation plays a fundamental role in democratic resilience. Disinformation refers to the intentional dissemination of false information, often with the aim of manipulating public opinion, sowing confusion or undermining trust in institutions. In times of disaster and crisis, this false information can spread rapidly, particularly on social media, causing anxiety, social divisions or inappropriate behaviour.

Protecting democracy therefore also means ensuring that citizens have access to reliable, clear and verified information. By strengthening critical thinking, encouraging the verification of sources and raising awareness of the risks associated with the manipulation of information, we can help to maintain social cohesion and trust in institutions. The fight against disinformation thus helps to preserve democratic sovereignty and strengthen society's ability to deal with crises collectively.

A resilient society is one that is able to cope with disasters or crises, limit their negative effects and quickly return to normal. This relies on solidarity, self-reliance, preparedness and the ability of citizens, civil society actors and communities to adapt.

In the event of a disaster or crisis, institutions and public authorities will not necessarily be able to immediately provide the support expected by everyone. If the population is well prepared, it can act independently and in solidarity, which helps to reduce the impact of the disaster or crisis.

Developing a culture of resilience involves raising public awareness of risks and threats, encouraging responsible, supportive and proactive behaviour, and integrating resilience into everyday life. This requires education, training and active participation in simulation exercises. Such a culture is also based on inclusion, equity and respect for diversity, so that everyone can contribute to collective resilience. Finally, it involves clear and transparent communication, which builds trust and the ability to adapt in the face of crises.

Citizens can prepare for crises by taking a proactive approach and developing a genuine culture of resilience. This means learning to anticipate risks and threats, adopting the right reflexes in an emergency, and strengthening their individual and collective autonomy. Good preparation starts with information: knowing the types of risks and threats that are possible and how to respond to them.

To this end, the government provides several practical tools. The website www.infocrise.lu centralises official information in the event of a disaster or crisis and provides practical advice and useful resources for effective preparation. It enables citizens to understand the risks and threats, follow the instructions of institutions and public authorities, and stay informed in real time.

In addition, LU-Alert allows citizens to receive immediate alerts in the event of danger, disaster or crisis. Through its various media (geolocated SMS, cellular broadcast, mobile application, website), the LU-Alert system informs citizens quickly and in a targeted manner, according to their location, and contributes to a more effective response to an emergency situation.

Essential goods are products or services considered essential to daily life and the fundamental well-being of society. They include food, drinking water and energy supplies, wastewater sanitation, health services, transport, banking services, communication services, and certain public administration services, such as those providing defence, national security, internal security, civil security or social security, which are essential to daily functioning and resilience in the face of disasters and crises.

A critical entity is a public or private operator of critical infrastructure that provides services essential to safeguarding the vital interests or essential needs of all or part of the country or population. Its operational continuity is crucial to ensuring the stability, security and resilience of society, particularly in times of disaster or crisis.

Critical infrastructure is an asset, facility, network, system or piece of equipment, or an element of an asset, facility, network, system or piece of equipment, that is necessary for the provision of an essential service. Protecting these infrastructures is therefore crucial to ensure national resilience.

To ensure that essential goods and services – such as food, electricity, water, healthcare and communications – remain available even in the event of a disaster or crisis, several measures are being put in place:

• Sectoral continuity plans are being developed for each key sector to ensure that critical activities can continue.
• Strategic stocks are being built up to cope with supply disruptions.
• Supply chains are diversified to reduce interdependencies.
• Infrastructure is strengthened to make it more resilient to shocks.

These actions aim to protect the population, maintain the country's stability and enable a rapid return to normal.

Cross-border cooperation is essential for strengthening resilience to disasters and crises. It enables:

• the sharing of information between countries, to better anticipate and respond to common risks and threats;
• strategic coordination of actions, particularly in critical areas;
• mutual support in the event of a disaster or crisis, through international, European or bilateral mechanisms.

In a highly interconnected international context, this cooperation is an indispensable lever for ensuring the continuity of essential goods and services and protecting citizens beyond national borders.

According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), economic resilience refers to the capacity of a country, its economy and its financial system to endure significant shocks and face long-lasting challenges, such as demographic changes.

This resilience is based on a multidisciplinary approach, integrating social and natural sciences, as well as various methodologies to assess the system resilience.

To remain competitive even in times of disaster or crisis, the Luxembourg economy relies on several key drivers:

• Sustainable and inclusive growth, balancing economic efficiency and solidarity.
• A flexible labour market, enabling rapid adaptation to change, in collaboration with social partners.
• Protection of systemic sectors to ensure their stability.
• Continuity of the four freedoms of the European Union's internal market, ensuring the free movement of goods, services, capital and persons.

These elements enable Luxembourg to maintain its economic resilience, meet the needs of its population and support its long-term competitiveness.

Economic diversification enables Luxembourg to reduce its dependence on certain critical sectors or partners, making it less vulnerable to crises.

It also strengthens the sustainability of the economic model by encouraging activities that are more environmentally friendly and less exposed to global fluctuations.

Finally, it enables the country to adapt more easily to geopolitical, technological and energy developments.

In short, diversifying the economy means strengthening its resilience and its ability to remain competitive in a changing world.

Cooperation between institutions, public authorities and the private sector helps to maintain production and the continuity of vital economic processes in times of disaster and crisis.

Public-private partnerships enable:

• a coordinated response between authorities and economic actors;
• the sharing of resources, skills and information to better anticipate and manage disruptions;
• rapid adaptation to emergency situations, thanks to the complementary strengths of the public and private sectors.

By pooling their expertise, these two sectors strengthen the stability, continuity and competitiveness of the economy, even in times of disaster or crisis.

Integrated strategic and logistical resource management refers to a proactive, systemic and adaptable approach aimed at ensuring the availability, equitable distribution and effective coordination of essential resources, particularly in times of disaster or crisis.

Among other things, it involves:

• coordination of logistical efforts between civil and military authorities;
• optimising supply and strengthening operational continuity;
• developing a national management plan for logistical and strategic resources;
• international cooperation, particularly with European partners.

The aim is to ensure a rapid and effective response to disruptions, while ensuring the equitable distribution of resources according to socio-economic needs and the vulnerability of populations.

Civil-military coordination is essential because it enables:

• strengthen civilian support for military activities and military support for civilian activities;
• ensure consistent planning and rapid response in the event of a disaster or crisis;
• optimise available resources, avoiding duplication or gaps;
• improve coverage of the territory, thanks to the complementary nature of civilian and military resources;
• strengthen international cooperation, particularly through bilateral or multilateral agreements.

Cyber resilience is the ability to anticipate, resist, recover from and adapt to cyber attacks and cyber security incidents.

It is not limited to prevention: it also encompasses the continuity of essential services, the protection of critical information systems and the maintenance of public confidence.

It is based on:

• effective governance;
• a crisis management culture;
• controlled communication;
• and robust technical systems.

Citizens play a key role in cyber resilience. They can contribute by:

• learning about digital security (e.g. recognising phishing attempts, using strong passwords, etc.);
• adopting responsible online behaviour;
• participating in awareness campaigns;
• protecting their devices and personal data;
• and reporting incidents or suspicious behaviour.

Cooperation between civil and military actors is essential in order to:

• protect critical information systems shared between the public, private and defence sectors;
• strengthen coordination in the event of a major attack;
• avoid duplication and promote existing synergies and initiatives by encouraging information sharing, the development of interoperable standards, joint risk assessment and the organisation of joint exercises;
• and expanding the coverage of classified systems.

This cooperation enables a faster, more consistent and effective response to increasingly complex cyber threats.

Civil defence refers to the preparedness of public and civil society stakeholders– such as the Grand Ducal Fire and Rescue Corps (CGDIS), the Grand Ducal Police (PGD), or the Customs and Excise Administration (ADA), the High Commission for National Protection (HCPN) – to protect the population and help safeguard essential societal functions in the event of a disaster, crisis or armed conflict.

Civil authorities are preparing by:

• improving their anticipation of risks and threats;
• enhancing crisis planning;
• adopting an integrated approach to crisis management;
• promoting civil-military cooperation to mobilise human and material resources;
• and defining clear strategic priorities.

These measures aim to ensure a rapid, coordinated and effective response to any disaster or crisis situation.

There are various types of exercises and/or simulations that can be used to strengthen civil defence (full-scale exercises, tabletop exercises, training courses):

To strengthen civil defence, Luxembourg organises:

• national and cross-sector exercises (involving several areas such as health, security, energy, etc.);
• table-top exercises to test emergency plans;
• and participates in joint exercises organised by the EU and NATO.

These exercises make it possible to test coordination, identify any gaps and improve the country's overall resilience.

Host Nation Support (HNS) includes all the civil and military assistance that a country provides, as a host nation, in times of peace, crisis or war, to allied forces and to the NATO/EU that are on or in transit through its territory.

This includes, among other things:

• the provision of infrastructure (accommodation, transport, communications, etc.);
• coordination between civil and military authorities;
• planning to avoid conflicts of use between civil and military flows (deconfliction);
• and cooperation with European and NATO partners.

HNS is an integral part of Luxembourg's civil defence and military preparedness, aimed at strengthening national resilience and international solidarity.

Faced with the increasing deterioration of the international security environment, Luxembourg must readjust its defence policy. To ensure credible collective deterrence and defence, it is imperative to strengthen military preparedness for deterrence, conflict preparedness and anticipation by adapting to emerging threats. Capability development plays a crucial role in the following areas

• land, by strengthening cooperation with Belgium and France and modernising its land capabilities;
• air, by focusing on interoperability, collective defence and resource optimisation with European partners and NATO;
• space defence and cyber security, by developing cutting-edge strategic and operational specialisations.

Automated systems, as well as innovative materials and production technologies, will also be supported.

NATO remains the cornerstone of collective defence in Europe. At the same time, in line with the transition of the conventional deterrence burden from the United States to European allies, it is important to respect the framework of NATO's defence planning process, which identifies the capabilities required and allocates them to allies, and assesses whether and how financial and civilian capability efforts will be taken into account in the new planning cycle. The EU is also a major player in addressing hybrid threats, such as cyber attacks and economic blackmail, and, in accordance with the mutual defence clause, is consolidating its defence pillar by strengthening existing initiatives and developing new forms of industrial and capability cooperation.

Luxembourg:

• Facilitates the transit and reception of allied forces through a structured framework of Host Nation Support / Transit Nation Support.
• Relies on the multilateral mechanisms of the European Union and NATO to strengthen coordination and solidarity.
• Participates in joint exercises and common defence plans.
• Contributes to European cyber defence and the continent's strategic resilience.

Innovation and research in the field of defence, particularly in dual-use capabilities, will be stimulated. Certain critical and fundamental technologies, such as artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, biotechnology, robotics and hypersonics, are key drivers of long-term economic growth and military pre-eminence.