EU Creates an Expert Group to Prepare Europe for Wildfires and Extreme Weather, Including a Possible Firefighting Fleet

BRUSSELS, Oct. 30, 2026 — The European Commission on Friday set up the PreparEU Advisory Group to advise President Ursula von der Leyen and Commissioner Hadja Lahbib "on how to best address accelerating disaster risks, including extreme weather events and wildfires," the Commission said.

"The exceptional is no longer exceptional. We must prepare for everything," the announcement quotes. "The best fire is the one that never starts." It says the group will deliver "concrete recommendations, including for a possible European Firefighting Fleet."

The group has 11 senior civil-protection and crisis-management experts and 6 scientists and academics. The Commission says "Over 686,000 hectares were burnt" in Europe's wildfires this year and the EU Civil Protection Mechanism "was activated for wildfires 10 times over the summer for Europe, and twice outside Europe."

Sources: European Commission, DG ECHO news article, Oct. 30, 2026.

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