Last year, Europe, the Middle East and Africa suffered some of the worst wildfires since 2000. According to the Forest Fires 2023 report, published last 19 by the Commission’s Joint Research Centre, wildfires affected over 500 000 hectares of natural lands, roughly half the size of the island of Cyprus. In recent years, catastrophic wildfires […]
EU boosts readiness to combat 2024 wildfire season
As Europe is preparing for the approaching wildfire season, the EU is taking significant steps to bolster firefighting efforts and safeguard communities, by pre-positioning firefighters and assembling a fleet of firefighting aircraft. First, 556 firefighters from 12 countries will be strategically prepositioned across key locations in Europe this summer, such as France, Greece, Portugal, and Spain, ready […]
The EU-backed FIRE-RES project is joining the battle against Europe’s forest fires with its new platform and app.
Wildfires are becoming a major threat worldwide. In Europe alone, they are responsible for around 85 % of annual burned areas. To help address this problem, the EU-funded FIRE-RES project is developing an integrated fire management strategy that will focus on fire prevention and preparedness, detection and response, and restoration and adaptation. As part of […]
Wildfires: EU provides crucial assistance to the Mediterranean region
As several countries grapple with rapidly spreading wildfires, the EU steps in to reinforce firefighting efforts and provide much-needed support to the affected communities with over 490 firefighters and 9 firefighting planes deployed to Greece and Tunisia since 18 July. The two Mediterranean countries have activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and the EU has […]
How the EU is preparing for the 2023 wildfire season
2022 was the second worst wildfire season in Europe and the first months of this year are following the same trajectory. We have already seen many winter and spring fires across the continent – from southern Ireland to the Balkan region. In response to this situation, the EU is scaling up its firefighting efforts with a […]