Wildfires

What is it?

Wildfires are uncontrolled fires that occur in nature or at the wildland urban interface (WUI) and are often exacerbated by climatic conditions. Long dry spells particularly increase the risk of wildfires breaking out. However, other factors also have a significant impact, such as rainfall, wind, type of vegetation, the layout of the terrain and forest management practices.

Any country affected by wildfires - within or outside the EU - can request firefighting assistance through the EU civil protection mechanism (UCPM).

Facts and figures

EU wildfires preparedness measures

For the 2026 wildfire season, the EU is putting a dedicated rescEU fleet and teams on standby so they can move quickly to where they are needed most.The 2026 rescEU fleet and the European civil protection pool (ECPP) will include:

Stationed in 12 countries: 

11 EU UCPM Member States: Cyprus, Czechia, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Romania, Portugal, Sweden and Slovakia and 1 UCPM participating state: North Macedonia.

Why is this important?

Europe is facing hotter, drier summers and more intense wildfires. The period from June to August 2025 was the warmest ever on a global scale, with temperatures of 0.7°C above the 1991-2020 average.  

The fire risk is expected to further increase due to climate change. Europe’s wildfire season will increasingly be characterised by massive fires that claim lives and burn areas requiring longer recovery periods.

In addition, the wildfire risk has expanded to areas not previously exposed, moving well beyond the Mediterranean region to affect countries such as Czechia, Germany and Sweden. This shift poses new challenges and results in significant societal, environmental, and economic losses across Europe.

The situation in 2025

Data from the Copernicus Climate Change Service show that in 2025 Europe had its warmest summer on record. The period from June to August 2025 was the warmest ever on a global scale, with temperatures 0.7 °C above the 1991-2020 average.

The Fennoscandian Peninsula experienced Europe’s most pronounced above-average air temperatures in July 2025, with heatwave conditions especially affecting Sweden and Finland, where there were 15 days of temperatures above 30°C. 

Southeast Europe also faced heatwaves and wildfire activity, and a national record temperature of 50.5°C occurred in Türkiye on 25 July, the first time a temperature above 50°C was observed in the country. 

Between 8 and 19 August, the estimated total burnt area in both Portugal and Spain was over 500,000 hectares, according to EFFIS, making it the countries’ highest value of burnt areas ever recorded in mid-August, comparable to almost twice the size of Luxembourg.

Cyprus, Germany, and Slovakia have also reached their highest value of burnt areas ever recorded in mid-August.

How are we helping?

The EU civil protection mechanism coordinates pan-European assistance, ensuring that all EU Member States and the 10 additional participating states receive timely information during crises. When activated by any country worldwide, the Mechanism facilitates the rapid deployment of resources and personnel tailored to the specific needs of each emergency.

At the operational core of the mechanism is the European Commission's emergency response coordination centre (ERCC). The centre monitors wildfire risks and emergencies in Europe and across the globe, supported by national and European monitoring services such as the EFFIS.

At the onset of each wildfire season, the centre engages with national authorities from EU Member States and participating states to:

• exchange information on prevention, preparedness, and response activities
• maintain close contact with these authorities throughout the wildfire season to ensure effective coordination

In case of emergency, any country can request assistance through the EU civil protection mechanism, enabling a coordinated, rapid, and effective international response. When major wildfires occur, Member States and participating states often demonstrate solidarity by providing:

• firefighting airplanes
• helicopters
• equipment
• specialised teams 

The mechanism cofinances the transport and/or operational costs of delivering assistance to the affected areas.

Between 2007 and 2025, nearly 20% of all requests for assistance through the EU civil protection mechanism were in response to wildfires.

How do we prepare for wildfires?

While national and regional authorities manage wildfire prevention, preparedness and response activities, the EU can co-finance and coordinate additional support when needed.

That’s why the EU continues to invest heavily in prevention and preparedness programmes - to reduce risks and respond more quickly and effectively when emergencies occur. 

Over the last few years, the EU has been constantly working to:

• reinforce its joint rescEU firefighting fleet
• ensure better availability of firefighting planes and helicopters in the event of major and overlapping emergencies

The EU also cofinances the stand-by availability of extra aerial firefighting resources to address potential shortcomings in wildfire response.

The EU has also been strategically pre-positioning firefighters from across Europe since 2022, in the continent’s south during summer months when the risk of wildfires increases. 

Preparedness measures in 2026

Provide 24/7 emergency support

Any country affected by wildfires - within or outside the EU - can request firefighting assistance through the EU civil protection mechanism. The ERCC has a fully staffed, 24/7 duty system to monitor global events and react to potential emergencies in real time, day and night.

Put a firefighting fleet and teams on standby

The 2026 rescEU fleet and the ECPP will include:

• 22 firefighting airplanes (14 amphibious airplanes and 8 light aircraft)
• 5 helicopters

Stationed in 12 countries: 11 EU UCPM Member States: Cyprus, Czechia, Greece, Spain, France, Croatia, Italy, Romania, Portugal, Sweden and Slovakia and 1 UCPM participating state: North Macedonia.

On the ground

In addition, 15 ground firefighting teams, 5 ground firefighting teams with vehicles and 1 advisory and assessment team - will be available to intervene across Europe.

Strategically preposition firefighters in key locations

The prepositioning initiative which starts on 1 July until 15 of September 2026 has steadily expanded - from 236 firefighters and 6 participating countries in its first year to 777 firefighters from 14 European countries today. Their presence on standby ensures faster response times and enables valuable on-the-ground knowledge exchange among all participating teams.

Set up a wildfire support team during summer months

During the high-risk summer months, a dedicated wildfire support team will reinforce the ERCC’s coordination and analytical capacity from June through September.

• 22 experts (15 from Member and participating states and 7 from the Aristotle partnership)

Use a range of scientific tools

The EU uses a range of national and European monitoring tools, including the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), which provides up-to-date and reliable information on wildland fires across Europe. EFFIS offers both short- and long-term fire danger forecasts, as well as near-real-time data on active fires and burned areas.

The EU's Copernicus Emergency Management Service can also be activated to produce satellite maps of wildfire-affected areas.

Prevention and preparedness measures

In addition to response efforts, the EU supports and complements the prevention and preparedness measures of countries and regions where a joint European approach proves more effective than separate national actions. These include conducting disaster risk assessments, encouraging research to promote disaster resilience, and reinforcing early warning tools.

Prevention, preparedness, and response actions complement each other to save lives and limit the further spread of fires. The presence of experienced wildfire experts, well-trained firefighters, advanced technology, and other assets near the emergency site can make a critical difference.

It has also funded 5 rescEU helicopters, 2 of which will be based in Slovakia, 2 in Czechia, and 1 Romania. The first one has been already delivered in Romania earlier this year. The first airplanes are expected to be delivered in early 2028.  

What happened in 2025?

The wildfire season was well above average, with a cumulative burnt area in the European Union of more than 1 million hectares, according to the European forest fire information system (EFFIS). It’s the highest value ever recorded inside the EU since 2006.