“There’ s one big omission in your strategy”: climate adaptation, pointed out MEP Tilly Metz (Greens/EFA, Luxembourger) during an exchange with European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib on the Preparedness Union Strategy, in the European Parliament’s Environment Committee on Monday 12 May.
On behalf of the Greens/EFA, the MEP regretted the non-binding nature of the strategy, all the while calling for climate adaptation to be “one of its fundamental pillars”. According to the Greens/EFA group, the latter should also be aligned with the ‘Climate Law’, to “coordinate Member States’ efforts and ensure real resilience” and include “measurable targets on health, water, infrastructure, the economy and urban planning”.
For Vytenis Andriukaitis (S&D, Lithuanian), the many climatic phenomena that have occurred in recent years (droughts, floods) should enable the identification of the EU’s weak points, “meaning the areas where we need to take action as a matter of priority”.
A financing “in jeopardy”. Recalling that the Civil Protection Mechanism had been activated “58 times” in 2024, MEP Grégory Allione (Renew Europe, French) regretted the “insufficient budget” allocated to it. Of the €3.3 billion allocated to civil protection, “just over €2 billion” comes from the Next Generation EU recovery plan. Without the ‘post-Covid fund’, civil protection receives “only €1.263 billion”. According to this former firefighter, the EU must do more, because “an underfunded Union Civil Protection Mechanism means citizens in distress”.
On this last point, the European Commissioner for Preparedness, Hadja Lahbib, called on the European Parliament to defend this strategy as part of the preparation of the post-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework. “The Niinistö report recommends 20% of the budget”, said the European Commissioner. More evasive on the place given to climate change, Hadja Lahbib reiterated that this strategy was prepared with the European Commissioner for Climate, Wopke Hoekstra.
The EU Strategic Reserve scheme is expected to be adopted by June, and this summer the Commission will be tackling the revision of the civil protection legislation “to ensure that it is as effective as possible”, announced Hadja Lahbib. (Original version in French by Florent Servia)