Brussels said member states must spend more on nature-based fire prevention after severe blazes in France, Spain and Greece, while major insurers warned weather losses are rising faster than coverage.
The European Union is pressing member states to increase spending on wildfire prevention and environmental management after severe summer blazes in France, Spain and Greece, while Europe’s largest insurers warn that climate-related disaster losses are increasingly falling outside insurance coverage. EU environment commissioner Jessika Roswall said Brussels will monitor how countries use EU funds for nature and fire prevention and review national restoration plans due by September, as AccuWeather estimated this summer’s fires caused €15.6 billion to €19.1 billion in economic damage. Separately, executives from Zurich Insurance Group, Swiss Re and Munich Re said Europe faces a widening protection gap, with governments, households and businesses absorbing more uninsured losses from wildfires and heatwaves.