The European Commission and Council have outlined the need for increased wildfire action in the face of climate change risks. At an informal meeting 5th September, EU Member States, the commission and the Czech Council Presidency gave tribute to firefighters’ engagement against the exceptional fires of 2022. They noted that climate change is rapidly altering fire risk, with fires now in central and northern Europe. A new fleet of over 20 EU firefighting aircraft will arrive from 2026 but today the intensification of wildfires exhausts current firefighting capacities. Announcements include additional investment in firefighting aircraft, pre-positioning of firefighters on the ground across Europe in the Spring and improved coordination and planning. The European Commission further announced a 170 million € budget for the “resCUE” fleet on 5th October.