The Estonian Stockpiling Agency, in cooperation with the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, carried out a study at the end of 2024 to find out whether and what kind of things it is expedient to centrally stock as national stockpile and how to better ensure stockpiles and security of supply in cooperation with various parties. The qualitative study sample covered a dozen municipalities and nearly 40 critical and essential entities.
One of the suggestions made by the respondents was to centrally stock generators, as past experience has shown that in a crisis they are always in short supply and difficult to obtain. However, it emerged during the interviews that a generator alone is of little help if connections to the buildings have not been established.
According to Viola Murd, Head of Development at the Estonian Stockpile Agency, who led the study, the resilience of water and district heating businesses, for example, has been invested in for several years and are able to continue providing services even in the event of power outages.
‘The service is output but is not received because the energy security of apartment buildings is not ensured. A generator is helpful – it turns on the pumps in the house to get the hot water to the radiators. Despite public support measures and information campaigns, apartment associations have shown little interest in establishing connectivity and purchasing a generator. The types of generators are different, the connections need to match the capacity and the owner of the building needs to know how to use the generator and to arrange for the right type of fuel to be supplied,’ explained Viola Murd.
Despite the fact that strategic stockpiles of fuel, food, and medicines have been set up by the state and critical entities have organised the necessary stockpiles and resources to ensure the continuity of service, the resilience of the retail network could become a bottleneck.
Local authorities and businesses pointed out that fuel supply is the most important issue for them. Although the country has sufficient fuel supplies, filling the generators, for example, requires the owner to arrange fuel deliveries. Food security is an essential part of many local authority services, such as childcare, nursing homes and domestic service.
To ensure food security, the Estonian Stockpiling Agency has started to set up a network of crisis stores. By 2026, there will be 110 operational stores, providing food and essential goods to both residents and to institutions to ensure they are able to continue providing essential services. In a network of crisis stores, the Estonian Stockpiling Agency also takes into account pharmacies to ensure that medicines are available as usual. Nevertheless, it is necessary for the local authorities to also have primary stockpiles. This should take into account stockpile rotation and storage possibilities, and agree with businesses or voluntary organisations how to organise the necessary resources during a crisis.
According to Viola Murd, the participants in the study suggested that the state could also stockpile alternative means of communication, in addition to fuel, food, and medicine, as municipalities lack the necessary competence.
‘As satellite and radio technology is evolving rapidly and the user needs to know how to use the equipment, it is not sensible to stockpile them for the long term. However, central recommendations from the state to municipalities and critical entities would help all parties involved in the communication network to make wiser choices,’ Murd said.
Many essential services have statutory standards and requirements that are necessary under normal circumstances, but are unable to be fulfilled in a crisis or which waste scarce resources. For example, water and sewage, district heating, education and social services, food and the requirements for its handling should be quickly adaptable in a crisis and the process should be unambiguously clear to all.
The recommendations of the study were developed in cooperation with the participants and the representatives of the relevant ministry. In total, nearly 90 recommendations were made to local authorities, businesses, and public authorities to improve the whole supply chain of the security of supply and ensure the continuity of essential services during a crisis.
‘The recommendations of the study have been presented to the Government Office and ministries. A number of recommendations are already being implemented, such as changing the requirements of social services in crisis situations. Many of the legal issues are addressed in the draft Civil Crisis and National Defence Act,’ said Viola Murd, Head of Development at the Estonian Stockpiling Agency.
