Against the backdrop of intensifying climate challenges, the Cohesion Policy Co-Resilience flagship project is uniting Türkiye, Bulgaria, Moldova, and Ukraine under the Interreg Black Sea Basin programme to build community resilience against wildfires—one of the most devastating and climate-sensitive natural disasters.
Cohesion Policy strategic project advances emergency coordination in the Black Sea Basin
- 27 June 2025
Co-Resilience Interreg project tackles wildfire risks through a multifaceted approach: early warning systems, community training, cross-border collaboration, and innovative models such as the “Forest School” that fosters environmental awareness and ecological stewardship among the youth.
Hosted in Istanbul 19-20 June 2025, the international conference “Innovative Technologies and Methods for the Prevention, Mitigation, and Monitoring of Wildfires Linked to Climate Change” showcased the strategic project’s early successes. Fire prevention experts, civil society organizations, emergency response teams, and public authorities gathered to exchange knowledge, tools, and best practices that strengthen community-level preparedness.
“The Co-Resilience project is more than a wildfire initiative—it is a demonstration of what European solidarity can achieve,” said Birgit Sandu Gociu, Representative of the European Commission’s Directorate for Regional and Urban Policy. “Its results bring the European Green Deal, EU Civil Protection Mechanism to life.”
Indeed, Co-Resilience is perfectly aligned with several strategic EU priorities:
- The European Green Deal, by advancing sustainable forest management and climate change adaptation.
- The EU Civil Protection Mechanism, through cross-border disaster risk reduction, emergency coordination, and joint response planning.
- The EU Social Pillar of the Cohesion Policy, via inclusive education and capacity building initiatives for youth and vulnerable groups.
- EU Neighbourhood policy, fostering regional stability, environmental resilience, and cooperation with EU neighbours and the new EU Black Sea Region Strategy.
As wildfires become an increasing threat, Co-Resilience initiative proves that EU support delivers results on the ground, enhances safety and sustainability, and deepens bonds between countries sharing common risks and aspirations.
The project is co-funded by the European Union, with a total budget of €1,481,671.80, of which €1,333,504.61 (90%) is provided through EU grant support under the Interreg Black Sea Basin Programme.