Companies aim to ready Denmark for crises

Dansk Industri (DI) has put forth recommendations on how closer collaboration with businesses can strengthen Denmark’s crisis preparedness. DI’s policy director, Morten Høyer, emphasizes the integration of the public and private sectors since the Cold War, advocating for including private sector capabilities in emergency plans. One key proposal is ‘standby contracts’ for prompt delivery of critical goods and services during crises, such as a fast supply of masks, avoiding reliance on outdated stock. Learning from the COVID-19 crisis, DI suggests that early engagement with companies is crucial for efficient crisis management, as the private sector often operates faster and on a larger scale than the public sector can. With a new geopolitical reality and threats like cyberattacks, DI proposes creating a ‘Business Emergency Staff’ and ‘Crisis Management Exercises’ with private companies to better prepare for the unknown.