The EU has opened a two-day conference in Brussels to mark the first anniversary of its Preparedness Union Strategy.
The strategy was launched in March 2025 and sets out how the EU wants to organise preparation for major crises and disruptions, the European Commission said on Monday.
The meeting brings together government representatives, civil protection experts, military representatives, private sector leaders and partners from across Europe.
Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu and Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib opened the conference alongside Oleksii Kuleba, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration.
Four thematic breakout sessions fed recommendations into a high-level closing panel on the second day, when senior officials from across Europe reviewed progress in implementing the strategy.
Focus on Ukraine and wildfires
Lessons learned from Russia’s war against Ukraine and from wildfires were a particular focus of the discussions, the Commission said.
The conference comes ahead of the EU adopting a communication on integrated wildfire risk management — a plan for how authorities assess, reduce and respond to wildfire risk across different services and levels of government.
Lahbib is scheduled to deliver the closing speech on the second day of the event.
