European, national and regional authorities are battling another wave of devastating wildfires this summer, but the scale and frequency of extreme weather events are raising questions over whether Europe’s crisis management systems are adapting fast enough, with a rising political cost for responsible administrations and climate deniers.
In recent days, Spain and France have been hit by some of the most severe fires of the season. In Spain, wildfires have affected more than 80,000 hectares, while France has seen more than 40,000 hectares burned. Hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to evacuate their homes as flames spread across several regions.
“Europe stands alongside France and Spain in the face of the devastating wildfires ravaging them,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen wrote on X. “My thoughts are with the firefighters who bravely battle the flames and with all those evacuated.”
Brussels quickly activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, deploying firefighting aircraft and personnel from several European countries.
France received support from Czechia, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden and Türkiye, while Spain received additional aircraft from Greece, Italy and Türkiye. Portugal also sent personnel and vehicles to support the response in Spain.
