Remarks by Executive Vice-President Mînzatu and Commissioners Lahbib and Roswall on the Communication on integrated wildfire risk management

Executive Vice-President Mînzatu:

Today, we are presenting a new approach to managing wildfires risks in the EU.

Last year, across our Union, an area larger than the entire country of Cyprus went up in flames.

Wildfires are no longer a seasonal ‘southern' problem; they are a European reality that is getting faster, hotter, and more frequent.

This is not only about hectares of burnt land.

It's about the lives and livelihoods of our citizens, the threat to our food supplies, and the € 2.5 billion in damages to property and infrastructure we accumulate every year.

Preventing a fire is always cheaper than fighting one and this Communication is about turning our Preparedness Union Strategy into concrete action.

We have three main goals:

1. First, bringing prevention and response together into one coherent approach.
2. Second, making better use of all EU tools – funding, data, research – so they work together more effectively.
3. Third, strengthening cooperation and solidarity, because wildfires do not stop at borders.

The Preparedness Union isn't just a concept. It is a shift in mindset. We are moving from a culture of reaction to a culture of anticipation.

The truth is that most of these fires – up to 96% – are caused by us, through negligence or behaviour. That means 96% of these disasters are preventable.

We want to raise awareness and improve education, to turn every citizen into a first line of defence.

And we must support those on the actual front lines – our firefighters and volunteers, to whom I extend my appreciation – with training, the right equipment and protection.

At the same time, some regions are already facing shortages of trained personnel. We need better data and planning to address this.

Let me be clear: Member States remain at the heart of wildfire management.

We are there to support, knowing there is no one-size-fits-all answer, and that regional and local communities know their realities best.

I leave you with one simple thought: If 96% of wildfires are caused by us, it means we are all part of the solution. Thank you.

***

Commissioner Lahbib

Good afternoon,

Let me start by thanking dear Roxana and dear Jessika for your excellent teamwork on this Communication.

I think we achieved something important that will keep the people of Europe safer. So, thank you.

Dante's Inferno.

That's how Michael Balea, a Maltese firefighter, described the fires in Portugal. The smell of smoke. The night sky glowing red. Flames stretching as far as the eye could see.

Last summer was the worst in decades for wildfires.

Over 1 million hectares burned. The size of Cyprus. Four times more than the year before.

Almost every Member State was hit. Some faced hundreds of fires in a single summer.

In Portugal alone, nearly 3% of the land burned.

Wildfires cost the EU nearly three billion euros every year. And every year, they take lives.

And this is not a one-off.

Climate change is making fires bigger, faster, and harder to control.

Europe is the fastest warming continent on the planet. And no one is immune. We now see fires as far north as Sweden.

So we must be ready before the first spark ignites.

That is why we are taking comprehensive action to manage the increased risks of wildfires.

We are looking at the whole picture: prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.

And I know, dear Jessika, you will say a few words about the important area of prevention.

I will focus briefly on three areas: coordinating, preparing, and responding.

First, we need to coordinate better.

We need to know who has what. Who does what. And where support is needed most.

So this Wildfire Communication is about seeing the full picture. And acting as one.

Making sure everyone has the tools and resources they need. Quickly and efficiently.

It is about anticipating fires and staying ahead of them. Not chasing after them.

Our Member States are always the first on the ground. And the EU stands behind them with strong support.

We are encouraging Member States to coordinate more. To share best practices. And to learn from each other. That is how we all get better.

That is why we are supporting a permanent programme to exchange firefighting experts.

And we are encouraging stronger coordination across all levels of government. Local, national, and European.

We also need our equipment to work seamlessly together across borders. That is essential when every minute counts.

The second priority is preparedness. Getting ready before fires start.

Everyone has a role to play, especially our citizens. We want people not just to be safe, but to be active in protecting themselves.

And that starts with fast, accurate information.

People need to know the risks. And they need clear, timely information they can trust.

So we are strengthening how we communicate risk. Making it clearer and accessible to everyone. No one should be left out.

We are also getting the whole community involved in wildfire safety. Because to keep everyone safe, everyone must be a part of the effort.

This is important in rural areas. But also in cities, as we recently saw in Los Angeles. Where wildfires killed over 30 people and destroyed thousands of homes.

So we need more education. More training. More real-life simulations.

And the better informed we are, the better decisions we make. And for that, we need better data.

Our European Forest Fire Information System, based on our Copernicus satellite system, already helps us detect and map fires in real time.

It gives emergency teams the information they need to act fast. Now we are strengthening it to provide Europe-wide risk maps and earlier warnings.

This will make us more autonomous and better connected with our international partners.

And we are using the power of Artificial Intelligence.

Just like AI helps doctors improve treatments. And farmers protect crops. It can help us fight wildfires.

It can predict and simulate how fires will spread. Guide firefighters on the ground. And help us take the right decisions and act earlier.

This will save lives.

And a third area of focus is response.

We need to respond faster and more effectively. That starts with stronger firefighting capacity.

We are adding 12 firefighting planes and 5 helicopters to our rescEU fleet. The first one is already in Romania.

We are also opening a new firefighting hub in Cyprus.

It will train firefighters, run joint drills, and get teams ready for the fire season. Together with our partners from across the region.

And we will preposition more firefighters in high-risk areas, so they are ready before fires spread.

I saw this myself in Greece.

Czech firefighters working side by side with Greek teams. Helping in a crisis, while keeping their skills sharp.

Good for Greece. Good for the Czech Republic that can learn from Greece. And an excellent example of European solidarity.

Allow me to end by taking a step back.

Tomorrow marks one year since we launched our Preparedness Strategy.

The threats we face are complex and fast-moving. And they are all connected.

In Europe, we have a clear choice: Cross our fingers and hope for the best. Or we can face reality. And prepare.

We have chosen to prepare. And this Wildfire Communication is an important part of that effort.

To keep people safe. And to keep our societies strong.

Thank you.

***

Commissioner Roswall

Thank you, Roxana and Hadja.

Last year, as wildfires tore through Europe, somebody said that the fear of a forest fire was unlike any other kind of fear they had experienced.

Of course, nobody should be confronted with such terror.

And yet, we know that the risk of wildfires is increasing. So we have an urgent duty and responsibility to take action.

Today, the European Commission is taking steps to tackle the growing impact of wildfires.

Wildfires are not a new topic. But what is new with today's Communication is that it takes an approach where the focus is on the whole chain: Awareness-raising, prevention, response, and recovery. That is also how the communication is formed. Let me focus briefly on prevention and recovery.

Our strategy is based on the age-old idea that prevention is better than cure.

Well-managed and healthy ecosystems are more resilient to wildfires. Active land and forest management is therefore crucial to protect our environment, boost our resilience and strengthen our competitiveness. We have simple, proven measures that we know work. For example, animal grazing limits the build-up of vegetation and lowers fire risk.

Controlled or prescribed burning can also help reduce excess vegetation in a safe and planned way. We talk about mild fires instead of wildfires. Restoring wetlands and natural water retention areas keeps soils and vegetation moist for longer – and acts as a natural firebreak.

Farmers, foresters and rural communities are key partners here. They manage their land every day, and we recognise and support their role in today's strategy. So, our efforts today go beyond protection. This is also about strengthening our rural economies and making better use of Europe's natural resources.

Prevention is not only about land, it is also about people. Since most fires are caused by human activity, awareness, responsibility and enforcement remain critical.

At EU level, we will support Member States with the right tools, data and funding. Wildfire risks need to be managed – of course, we know this – and adapted locally. That is why there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Flexible and local responses are key.

To support implementation on the ground, the Commission is also providing guidance on Natura 2000 areas and climate change to help stakeholders better manage wildfire risks. Climate change is affecting our ecosystems, and we need to be ready to adjust and adapt.

Recovery is also about resilience.

The priority is to restore destroyed lands and rebuild communities in a way that strengthens their long-term resilience.

Recovery should reduce future risk, not recreate it. Preventing repeated fires is really essential, otherwise we risk long-term environmental damage and growing economic losses. Recovery is therefore an opportunity to modernise and invest in more resilient land use and local economies, including through nature-based solutions.

What comes next? The priority now is to deliver. It is about prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. These have to go hand in hand. If one is missing, the whole system becomes weaker.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have met with firefighters, listened to farmers, and visited forests across all of Europe.

The growing threat of wildfires looms over them all. Today is our collective answer to that threat. It is about concrete action with concrete impact: Continued funding; technical assistance and guidance; and improved monitoring and risk assessment models.

This Communication is an important step towards more resilient landscapes – and to an EU that is more proactive, better prepared, and more responsive to wildfires.

Thank you.