Extreme wildfire events are becoming a major environmental, economic and social threat across Europe, increasingly affecting regions that were until now relatively spared. The summer of 2022 was a record year for forest fires, and the recent winter drought has triggered a proliferation of forest fires across Europe in the summer of 2023.

In this context, FIRE-RES is organising the policy event “Towards a fire resilient Europe: can we do better?” on 24 October 2023 from 14:30 to 18:00 at the European Parliament. The event is co-hosted by MEPs Ulrike Müller and Jordi Solé i Ferrando.

The event will focus on how the European Union can improve its resilience to forest fires and will give the floor to Members of the European Parliament and representatives of the European Commission. The discussions will be enriched by contributions from firefighters and researchers, who will share their on-the-ground experience and their analysis of economic and policy tools for a more fire-resilient Europe.

Agenda and presentations

Welcome address | Ulrike Müller, Member of the European Parliament

Pyrocene: the end of firefighting age | Martí Rosell Ibarz, CFRS 

From fire management to landscape resilience: how to connect the dots? | Antoni Trasobares, CTFC. Presentation available here.

Europe’s strategy to fight wildfires: tools and initiatives | Hanna Jahns, European Commission – DG ECHO. Presentation available here.

Towards a policy coherence for integrated wildfire risk management | Eduard Plana, CTFC. Presentation available here.

Can economic incentives help reducing wildfire risk? | Cecilia Fraccaroli, EFI. Presentation available here.

EU R&I delivering on sustainable forest management and resilience | Nicolas Faivre, European Research Executive Agency. Presentation available here.

Panel discussion: How to increase Europe’s fire resilience in a warming climate? With Anna Deparnay-Grunenberg (MEP), Antoni Trasobares CTFC, Nicolas Faivre (EREA).

Conclusion Jordi Solé, Member of the European Parliament

A networking reception is planned at the end of the event, until 18:00 in the European Parliament.

Check the detailed agenda here.

The full report of the event can be read here.

Registration

The workshop is aimed at all decision-makers involved in forest management and climate change issues. In particular, policy makers from the European Commission and the European Parliament as well as national and regional representatives are invited to participate in the discussions.

You can register using this form. Please note that due to the limited number of places available, your registration is subject to confirmation. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact fireres@euromontana.org.