Wildfire risk management priorities raised in Brussels
A high-level roundtable in Brussels on 30 January 2026 discussed integrated wildfire risk management across prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.
The International Association of Fire and Rescue Services (CTIF) published a summary report of the discussion, which provided strategic input to an upcoming European Commission Communication on Integrated Wildfire Risk Management.
Participants described wildfires as an increasing risk that is already overwhelming some national responders and is projected to grow in the next years.
The discussion called for an integrated approach that places greater emphasis on prevention and connects work across environmental, land-use, agricultural and civil protection policy.
A recurring theme was the role of healthy, actively managed forests and land as a first line of defence, including sustainable forest management, grazing, diversified land use, fuel management and spatial planning.
Speakers also linked fire-resilient areas to co-benefits cited in the report, including biodiversity, water protection, health, bioeconomy and rural vitality.
Sectors and obstacles highlighted for the next five years
The report sets out sector-specific changes discussed for the next five years, with investment in prevention and preparedness recurring across contributions.
In land use, forestry and agriculture, participants discussed embedding wildfire prevention objectives into legislation and funding frameworks, addressing land abandonment and making land and forest management economically viable.
Farmers, forest owners and local communities were described as indispensable partners due to their role in managing fuel and their frequent position as first responders.
In civil protection and emergency response, the discussion noted progress at EU level, alongside concerns that response systems are increasingly overwhelmed by simultaneous and extreme events.
The report links reinforced response capacity, including under rescEU and the pre-positioning of firefighters in high-risk areas, with reinforced prevention, post-fire analysis and learning, improved early detection, access to water resources and training and exchange.
In education, research and data, participants said knowledge exists yet is insufficiently scaled or operationalised, with data held by different actors including insurers identified as a possible input to improved risk assessment and decision-making.
The report also references technology including AI as a support across phases of the wildfire management cycle.
Fragmentation was identified as the dominant barrier, spanning responsibilities, funding streams and legal frameworks.
Policy silos between environment, agriculture, land use and civil protection were described as barriers to a holistic approach.
Short-term funding cycles and crisis-driven political priorities were cited as limiting sustained investment in prevention and its effectivity.
The report also notes a lack of status and release arrangements for volunteers as a barrier to spontaneous volunteering in emergencies.
The report describes the roundtable as the start of an ongoing policy dialogue on integrated wildfire risk management at EU level.