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European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Press Remarks by Commissioner Lahbib at the Launch of the Communication on Wildfire Risk Management Brussels, 25 March 2026 Dante's Inferno . That is 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 wildfi...
European Commission - Speech [Check Against Delivery] Press Remarks by Commissioner Lahbib at the Launch of the Communication on Wildfire Risk Management Brussels, 25 March 2026 Dante's Inferno . That is 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 one million hectares burned, the size of Cyprus, four times more than the year before. Almost every Member State was hit and 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. 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. 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, acting as one, and 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. 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. 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. We need more education, more training, more real-life simulations. The better informed we are, the better decisions we make. 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. We are also 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. The third area of focus is response. We need to respond faster and more effectively and that starts with stronger firefighting capacity. We are adding twelve firefighting planes and five 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. We will also 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, 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. This Wildfire Communication is an important part of that effort, to keep people safe, and to keep our societies strong. SPEECH/26/721
Speech Brief