Banaszak: Effective civil protection starts at the local level

The CoR rapporteur on the Union Civil Protection Mechanism calls for stronger wildfire prevention, preparedness and support for local and regional authorities.

The increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires across Europe underline the urgent need to strengthen prevention and preparedness, alongside emergency response capacities. This was the message of Adam Banaszak, European Committee of the Regions (CoR) rapporteur on the Union Civil Protection Mechanism, during the October 2026 plenary debate on wildfires and drought.

Speaking in the debate, which featured Kamal Kishore, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr Banaszak stressed that local and regional authorities are on the front line of disaster response and must be recognised as equal partners in civil protection.

He called for adequate funding, technical support and meaningful involvement of local and regional authorities in decision-making, alongside stronger cross-border cooperation, more effective early warning systems and investment in research and innovation.

Mr Banaszak also underlined the importance of strengthening European solidarity through the Union Civil Protection Mechanism and rescEU, while ensuring that investment in emergency response does not come at the expense of prevention.

“Let us work towards a European culture of prevention, in which protecting lives, supporting our territories and investing in resilience are shared priorities,” he concluded.