2025 was the worst wildfire season in Europe since records began, and the European Commission has published new guidance for EU countries on preventing, preparing for, responding to and recovering from wildfires.
The Commission said in a release on Wednesday that climate change is increasing wildfire risk in both intensity and frequency.
Its approach puts emphasis on prevention through nature restoration and land management, including advice on climate adaptation in Natura 2000 sites — the EU’s network of protected areas — and on how to manage those sites in emergency situations.
EU countries are also being encouraged to integrate wildfire prevention and preparedness into spatial planning.
Firefighting fleet expansion
To help countries prepare, the Commission said it will update risk assessment guidelines and seek to involve citizens in wildfire preparedness in line with the EU’s “preparedness union” strategy, which sets out how the bloc plans for and responds to major crises.
It added it will continue pre-positioning firefighters in high-risk areas and promote the exchange of firefighting experts between countries.
The European Forest Fire Information System, which provides information and monitoring on forest fires across Europe, will be further developed to improve early warning and fire monitoring tools.
It also plans to build European risk modelling capacity, including prioritising AI-assisted wildfire modelling tools.
For response, the Commission said the rescEU firefighting fleet will be expanded through the procurement of 12 firefighting planes and five helicopters.
rescEU is the EU’s reserve of civil protection assets used to support countries in emergencies, including aircraft for firefighting.
On recovery, the Commission said it proposes collecting data to better understand long-term health risks faced by firefighters, including exposure to toxic substances, as well as sharing best practices for post-fire recovery and supporting restoration towards more climate-resilient ecosystems.
