Forest fires are one of several natural disasters that have intensified due to climate change, fuelling a vicious circle. As wildfires release CO₂ into the atmosphere, this contributes to climate change, which then further increases the forest fire risk across Europe. But forest fires are not only a disaster for nature: they cause significant human casualties and economic losses estimated at around €2 billion each year. An upcoming ECA report assesses how EU money is used to tackle forest fires in European countries.

Forests and woodland in the EU cover about 160 million hectares, almost 40 % of the total EU land area. Every year, the European Forest Fires Information System records over a thousand forest fires exceeding 30 hectares, burning an average of more than 350 000 hectares in total across the EU. And the situation is not improving. Provisional estimates for 2024 stand at more than 1500 forest fires burning almost 385 000 hectares of land, and data is not yet available for all member states.

Most burnt areas are in the southern member states, in particular Portugal, Spain, Italy and Greece. From 2013 to 2022, these countries saw yearly average burnt areas of over 125 000, 100 000, 65 000, and almost 30 000 hectares, respectively. However, forest fires occur in almost all EU countries, including those further north and east, such as Sweden and Poland.

Forest fire risk is determined by a combination of external drivers (land management, weather, human action) and forest-related factors (forest structure and condition, geographical features, fuel load). Climate change has also increased the forest fire risk across Europe. Yet forests’ resilience to wildfires can be improved, for example through proper risk governance, appropriate forest management, and landscape planning. Of the 50 % of forest fires with a known origin, only 4 % are due to natural causes such as lightning. The remainder (96 %) are the result of deliberate human action or negligence.

While forestry policy mainly falls within the remit of the member states, the EU supports national activities by allocating funding to tackling forest fires. The European Commission aims to ensure that “the EU is sufficiently equipped to prevent and respond to major forest fires, which can inflict significant damage on forest biodiversity”.

The ECA audit report, available from 11 June, assesses how effectively the European Commission and member states use EU funding for forest fire prevention, preparedness, and recovery. The audit looks in particular at Greece, Spain, Poland and Portugal. In 2023, the burnt area in Greece was more than triple the annual average for 2006-2022, and for the past decade Spain has recorded an annual average of more than 230 forest fires exceeding 30 hectares. Poland has the oldest and largest primeval forest in Europe, while Portugal is the EU country that is proportionally the most impacted by forest fires.