French lawmakers push emergency measures to combat forest fires

Deputy Hadrien Clouet (LFI) called for an extraordinary session of the French National Assembly on 28 July to approve additional civil‑security funding for wildfire response. He urged a rectifying finance bill to open new credits for rolling and airborne firefighting equipment, citing unprecedented fires and criticizing the government’s lack of preparation.

On the same day, Deputy Matthieu Bloch (Doubs) introduced a proposal to create an aggravated circumstance for arson committed during periods of extreme fire risk. The draft would increase penalties for intentional fires, reflecting the surge in wildfires and their human, environmental and economic consequences.

Both initiatives aim to strengthen France’s capacity to prevent and combat forest fires and to provide the resources needed by firefighters.