Civil society at the heart of preparedness: How the liberal professions can make the EU more resilient

Through their expertise, independence and the trust they command, doctors, lawyers, architects and other liberal professionals can help unite and mobilise civil society to prepare Europe for crises. The tenth Liberal Professions Day at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) explored how to strengthen that contribution, from climate-resilient planning to public health and the responsible use of AI.

29 September was the tenth Liberal Professions Day, an annual event organised by the EESC’s Liberal Professions Category. The event brought together numerous policymakers, experts and practitioners from across Europe to discuss this year’s theme – Preparedness in the EU: the role of the liberal professions. 

People as the bedrock of EU preparedness

‘Preparedness is not only about stockpiles, not only about equipment – preparedness is about people,’ said Martin Böhme, EESC member and spokesperson for its Liberal Professions Category, opening the day’s proceedings.

For the EU to continue to face up to an uncertain world, the professionals working in its chemists, its law offices, its hospitals and its schools will need to sustain a culture of preparedness. Preparedness ‘means skilled, independent, trusted people ready to act,' said Mr Böhme. ‘Liberal professions are not only service providers; they are pillars of a resilient Europe.’

‘What binds us all together is our professional independence and duty to the public interest. The liberal professions are uniquely positioned to guide Europe through long term risk,’ said Daniel Fügenschuh, President of the Architects’ Council of Europe. 

Embedding preparedness in EU policy 

For those professionals to act effectively in a crisis, laws and coordination mechanisms must already be in place. ‘When a crisis comes, there is no time to write new laws,’ said Maurizio Mensi, member of the EESC’s Civil Society Organisations’ Group, as he opened the day’s first panel. The discussion emphasised that to ensure preparedness, EU policy must be coordinated to allow professionals at every level of domestic and European governance to cooperate across regulatory boundaries. And this must begin now.   

Alison Hunter, Director at the Economic and Public Policy Consultancy and Senior Adviser at the European Policy Centre, highlighted that crises do not respect administrative boundaries. Energy, defence, hospitals, water, climate adaptation – to name just a few fields – are all managed by different departments. Without proper interinstitutional coordination, siloed crisis preparation ‘may actually enforce fragmentation.’ 

A more structurally connected approach is therefore needed to ‘connect policies and actions across levels of government,’ Ms Hunter argued. This planning must start at local level. What is needed is ‘stronger multilevel preparedness governance connecting EU, national, regional and local levels with infrastructure operators, businesses, professional expertise, civil society and of course citizens.’   

Preparedness in practice  

The second panel discussion moved on to the practical considerations of how professionals can foster preparedness on the ground.

Extreme climate events are one of the most pressing challenges in crisis preparedness. ‘We can no longer design our buildings and cities for historical climate averages; we must design for future extremes,’ stressed Mr Fügenschuh. ‘This is what we mean by preparedness by design – anticipating risks and embedding risk reduction at every stage of the planning process.’   

Public health emergencies are likewise no longer rare. ‘The only variable we can really control is how ready we are,’ said Professor Mary Codd, President of the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region. She emphasised that to be prepared for more frequent and severe public health crises, the EU needs ‘engineers, teachers, well equipped community health workers to be knowledgeable and courageous.’ 

Policy coordination across the EU is without doubt a crucial part of the preparedness approach, but when emergencies hit, Europe must be equally sure that individual workers are prepared. ‘Can professionals cross institutional boundaries, do they have the skills, information and resources to make decisions under pressure?’ asked Danko Relić, member of the EESC’s Civil Society Organisations’ Group.   

Digital Preparedness in the Age of AI 

Liberal professionals will need to possess a range of skills to maintain a culture of preparedness. But perhaps none are shaping up to be as important as digital literacy, particularly in AI.

In the workplace, AI and digitalisation are here to stay; so are the risks. While cyberattacks can often be harder to anticipate than a natural disaster, the resulting compromise of sensitive personal data means that the consequences are no less significant, said Rudolf Kolbe, EESC member and moderator of the third panel. ‘We are no longer protecting only an office, we are protecting an ecosystem,’ said Elsa Veloso, CEO at DPO Consulting and Board Member of the Portuguese National Association of Liberal Professions. 

‘The important question is not simply whether AI introduces risk, but how we manage them responsibly,’ said Dr Helen Donato, Director of the Scientific Documentation and Information Service at ULS Coimbra. AI literacy is not only a skill: it is now a professional responsibility. 

‘Cyber-readiness is a basic professional duty. Not because every lawyer, doctor or accountant needs to become a cyber-security expert, but because trust is not optional in what we do,’ said Ms Veloso. The more that personal financial and health data is stored online, the more professional digital literacy becomes critical for workers.   

For the EU’s liberal professions to prepare themselves adequately against digital crises, it is critical for humans to remain in the loop. But, Dr Donato concluded, ‘human oversight is only meaningful if humans retain the competence to question, challenge and override AI.’

Background  

The EESC’s Liberal Professions Category was set up in 2017. It brings together EESC members who represent professional organisations or are professionals themselves. The group meets three times a year to review and debate the latest political and legislative developments at European level affecting the exercise of the liberal professions. The stated aim of the category is to make sure that the professions act upon a common ground, ensuring that they reach their potential in the European Union in the coming years.