Portugal and EU adopt new measures to curb forest fire risk

A Greenpeace‑commissioned report analysing over 80 years of Portuguese wildfires warns that large fires are becoming more frequent despite improvements in fire‑fighting capacity since 2017. The study cites climate‑driven heat and drought, fragmented private forest ownership and inadequate forest‑land management as key drivers, and calls for a national priority on fuel‑load management and carbon‑neutral policies.

In response to a record‑breaking 2025 fire season that burnt more than one million hectares across the European Union – almost half of which fell in Portugal and Spain – the EU Council adopted a recommendation on integrated forest‑fire risk management. The recommendation urges member states to strengthen prevention through sustainable forest and land management, improve preparedness with better data, risk assessments and early‑warning systems, and enhance cross‑border cooperation and long‑term financing for post‑fire recovery.