Over half of the EU Member States consider earthquakes to be a main risk. Environmental degradation caused by pollution, deforestation, and other human activities increases ecosystems’ vulnerability and amplifies the impacts of climate change.
The devastating floods that hit several European countries in July 2021 are an equally stark reminder that extreme weather events claim lives, damage homes and cause significant economic losses. The 2022 fire season was the second worst in the EU and recorded a 250% increase over the average burnt area in the past 15 years 4. R epeated prolonged periods of drought are increas ing the geographical scope, frequency and intensity of wildfire s across the entire EU. Heatwaves pose a serious risk to life and human health.
I n 2022, drought affected nearly two thirds of the EU territory 3, which reduced river flows, water reservoirs and ground water, impacting health, energy, water supplies, transport and agricultural production. This warming trend has serious consequences. Temperatures in Europe have increased by more than twice the global average over the past 30 years – the highest of any continent in the world 2. While we are dealing with these crises, t he heavy impact of climate change is increasingly apparent in our daily lives and further exacerbates Europe’s vulnerability to crises 1. Based on this lesson learned, the Union strengthened its health security framework, notably through the EU Health Union. Yet, risk identification had not translated into specific emergency planning and disaster prevention efforts that could have better protected our citizens. Pandemics featured among the top identified risks in the national risk assessments of several European countries prior to the emergence of COVID-19. While a war is raging on our Eastern border, the EU continues to deal with the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Nuclear risk, disruption of energy, transport and food supplies, interruption of medical treatment, destruction of health infrastructure and mass population movements within Europe highlight the importance of maintaining the essential services that underpin our society. Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has rocked the continent and shows our responsibility to strengthen civilian emergency preparedness for multiple threats, both man-made and natural, in the increasingly unsettled global security context. It needs to anticipate these challenges and be better prepared. The EU is confronted by multiple, simultaneous challenges and threats, some of which would have been considered unthinkable until very recently. The Europe an Union in a changing risk landscape: preparing for the unknown
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