EU Civil Protection
Before emergencies make the headlines, responders across Europe are already preparing - training together, sharing expertise and building the trust that enables them to act as one team to protect what matters:
people, communities and nature.
EU Civil Protection
© European Union, 2026. All rights reserved.
© European Union, 2026. All rights reserved.
What is the EU doing to prepare for a crisis?
The EU is working to strengthen its ability to anticipate, prepare and respond to a growing range of crises. While increasingly occurring natural hazards such as floods and wildfires remain a major focus, the EU is also preparing for other emergencies, including health crises, major power outages, cyberattacks and other cross-border threats.
To prepare for these, the EU is:
- supporting disaster prevention
- investing in early warning systems
- training emergency responders and strengthening its coordinated response
- helping citizens become better prepared for emergencies
- ensuring essential supplies of equipment and resources are in place across Europe
© European Union, 2026. All rights reserved.
© European Union, 2026. All rights reserved.
Preparing for floods
Why are floods a growing concern in Europe?
Floods are the most common and costly natural hazard in Europe and climate change is making them more frequent and more severe. They destroy homes, roads and critical infrastructure, and disrupt people's lives and livelihoods. It can take years for communities to recover from their impact.
Rising number of floods means greater risks for Europe
Between 1980 and 2024, flooding accounted for 47% of all weather and climate-related economic losses in the EU, costing an average of €8.6 billion every year.
Europe is particularly exposed to flooding due to its geography, with around 53 million people (roughly 1 in 8 Europeans) living in areas at risk of flooding. This is why predicting where and when communities are at risk and ensuring a quick and effective response when floods occur has today become more important than ever.
Floods are among the most widespread natural hazards in Europe.
How is the EU supporting countries before and during floods?
The EU helps countries prepare for floods before they happen and supports them when they occur. While national authorities remain responsible for disaster management, the EU complements their efforts in a number of ways, including through the EU civil protection mechanism – the EU-coordinated solidarity system for responding to disasters.
Before a flood:
anticipating and preparing
The EU supports countries by improving flood forecasting and early warning. The European Flood Awareness System (EFAS), part of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service, provides flood forecasting and monitoring data to national authorities across Europe up to 10 days in advance. Countries can also rely on a network of over 20 European meteorological and geophysical institutes, offering multi-hazard early warning services and expert analysis 24/7.
The EU civil protection mechanism also coordinates and funds preparedness exercises where emergency responders from different countries can train together in simulated disaster scenarios. These exercises bring together civil protection teams from different EU and participating countries to share expertise and build mutual trust and understanding.
168
preparedness exercises completed
50,000
emergency responders trained
TRAINING TOGETHER TO ACT AS ONE
Rescuing local populations, restoring drinking water supply, securing communications for first responders, pumping out flood water from homes or operating drones to gather vital information on how a disaster is progressing – these are just some of the many tasks civil protection experts take on when a crisis hits.
These experts from across Europe come together, through the EU civil protection mechanism, to help communities in need. To be able to do this effectively, experts train together as part of EU preparedness exercises so that, regardless of which country they come from, rescuers can work quickly and efficiently as one team united around a single goal: saving lives, homes and livelihoods.
© European Union, 2026. All rights reserved.
© European Union, 2026. All rights reserved.
After a flood:
responding quickly and effectively
When disaster strikes and a country (inside or outside the EU) needs help, it can request assistance from the EU civil protection mechanism. Its Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), located in Brussels and operating 24/7, will then coordinate the deployment of emergency teams and equipment from across Europe, ensuring help reaches affected communities as quickly as possible.
Countries can also count on support from rescEU, the EU-funded strategic reserve of common emergency resources. It complements the help available through the EU civil protection mechanism by providing both equipment and resources, such as firefighting planes and power generators, as well as specialised personnel including medical teams.
Preparing for wildfires
Why are wildfires a growing threat every summer?
Wildfires are becoming more frequent, more intense and more widespread across Europe as climate change brings hotter, drier summers. What was once mainly seen as a risk for the Mediterranean region, is now affecting countries further north, creating new challenges and causing significant social, environmental and economic impact on communities across Europe.
This growing risk is already becoming a reality. Since 2017, major wildfires have broken out across Europe nearly every year and their consequences can be devastating. They threaten lives, destroy homes and critical infrastructure, force people to leave their communities, pollute the air and damage valuable ecosystems.
Every year, wildfires cost the EU around €2.5 billion and displace an average of 45,000 people from their homes, while vast areas of land are destroyed. This is why the EU is helping countries better anticipate, prepare for and respond to wildfires when they occur.
More than 1 million hectares were burnt in the EU in the 2025 wildfire season alone . And by August 2026 the area totalled more than 635,000 hectares, exceeding the area recorded by the same point in 2025 - the worst wildfire year on record.
When wildfires strike, countries across Europe stand ready to act as part of the European Union civil protection mechanism, mobilising the manpower and resources stationed in their respective countries.
In 2025 alone, its members came together 19 times to support 11 countries fighting wildfires.
As of August 2026, the mechanism has been activated 11 times for wildfire response this year, deploying 24 firefighting planes, 17 helicopters and 835 firefighters to support 9 affected countries.
Ahead of the 2026 wildfire season, the EU has put in place:
777 firefighters from the rescEU fleet ready to support countries under pressure
14 European countries
pre-positioned in at risk countries/region
21 certified teams ready to intervene all over Europe
22 firefighting airplanes
5 helicopters from rescEU fleet ready to support countries under pressure
© European Union, 2026. All rights reserved.
© European Union, 2026. All rights reserved.
1-5 activations
6-11 activations
12+ activations
Our democracy protects the rights, freedoms and values that matter to us. But it cannot be taken for granted.
Find out why democratic participation matters and how you can help shape it — to build a more resilient and vibrant democracy for us all.