EU member states have been urged to tighten prevention and preparedness measures for wildfires after more than 1 million hectares burned across the bloc during what was described as a record-breaking 2025 season.
The Council of the EU declared on Monday that it has adopted a recommendation on “integrated wildfire risk management” — a framework intended to help countries prevent, prepare for, respond to and recover from wildfires.
The 2025 season also triggered an unprecedented number of activations of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism — the system used to coordinate assistance between participating countries during major emergencies.
Constantinos Ioannou, Cyprus’s interior minister, said recent wildfire seasons showed the risk was “no longer a challenge for a few countries but a European challenge”, calling for a comprehensive approach spanning land management, climate adaptation, civil protection and cross-border cooperation.
Prevention, early warnings and cross-border response
The recommendation encourages member states to strengthen prevention through sustainable land and forest management, and to improve preparedness through better use of data, risk assessments and early warning systems, the Council said.
It also calls for stronger cooperation and interoperability in wildfire response.
The measures highlight the role of public awareness, support for local communities, improved post-fire recovery, and stronger governance and long-term funding for wildfire risk management.
The recommendation follows a European Commission communication adopted on 25 March 2026 that set out an EU strategy on integrated wildfire risk management.
While the Council’s recommendation is not legally binding, member states are invited to implement the measures in line with national circumstances, risk profiles and governance systems.
