Most southern European countries have lifted emergency measures
Europe’s summer wildfires have devoured more than half a million hectares, with 2026 on track to end far above average but below the record set in 2025, while blazes across the bloc are gradually being brought under control.
After two weeks of headline-grabbing wildfires that crept towards Bordeaux and consumed more than eight times the 20-year average area in France, Paris is seeing a light at the end of the tunnel.
“Now, our duty is to prepare for the reconstruction of the affected areas,” said Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu on Wednesday. It was time to “rebuild and sustainably adapt”, he added.
France has yet to lift its EU emergency request, but others have.
