The document lays out objectives for the next 10 years to guarantee the functioning of the state and the population's ability to cope during widespread and challenging crises.

Over the next four years, the plan will focus on boosting people's crisis awareness and independent readiness; developing emergency warning solutions; fostering the crisis capabilities of local governments; and enhancing continuity of service among agencies involved in dealing with crises.

Only 15 percent of the population are fully prepared for a crisis, Erkki Tori, the director of the National Security and Defence Coordination Unit of the Government Office, said in a statement.

The government wants a quarter of the population to be prepared within the next four years, rising to 40 percent within the next decade.

Tori said that for civil defense to properly function, people must be able to fend for themselves in a crisis – assisting one another, where necessary – until help arrives. This allows the state to focus on protecting people who cannot defend themselves

"At the same time, the state will be working to boost its own preparedness," Tori said. "Whereas at the moment we would only be capable of supporting 2 percent of the population in the event of a large-scale evacuation, we want to raise that to 10 percent over the next 10 years."

€32 million has been allocated to develop national defense capabilities, including civil defense activities, over the next four years, the government said.

During that time, rescue work and evacuation capabilities must be enhanced, shelter and emergency warning solutions must be developed, crisis medicine capabilities must be improved, crisis management skills must be fostered at the local government level, supplies must be boosted and the awareness of the population must be raised.

To support the development of civil defense, the Estonian Stockpiling Agency was established in 2021 to provide the likes of fuel, medical supplies and food in situations where people and agencies have run out of them or trade has been hindered.

"Estonia is a great place to live, and a safe place to live, but given what is happening around the world we must be prepared to cope with both environmental and man-made crises," Tori said.

"The battle the Ukrainians are facing shows that society has to be capable of functioning even in much bigger crises, which is to say in a war. And to cope with that, as with any other crisis situation, you have to prepare."

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