Wildfire peer review report: Greece 2024

The report looks at wildfire prevention, preparedness, and response in Greece, and is the result of over six months of work on the side of Greek authorities, peer experts, and the Commission. The Greek civil protection authorities, represented by the General Secretariat of Civil Protection (GSCP), requested a wildfire-specific peer review in September 2023. Greece is the 17th country to be reviewed under the UCPM peer review programme and the first country to pilot the Wildfire Peer Review Assessment Framework. GSCP assigned the Hellenic Fire Corps and the Ministry of Environment and Energy as national contact points for the review.

Key recommendations of the report include:

• Develop a national wildfire risk management strategy;
• Update the wildfire risk and hazard maps, along with an updated wildfire risk assessment and identification of risks for the wildland-urban interface areas;
• Streamline planning processes in relation to wildfires and include regular reviewing;
• Reinforce the capacity of local authorities to develop and implement integrated wildfire measures;
• Strengthen wildfire prevention through a review of legal framework, long-term budget allocation, reinforcement of the Forest Service, guidelines on fuel management at landscape level and raising awareness;
• Further build synergies between the Forest Service and the Hellenic Fire Corps on prevention and preparedness;
• Explore the use of fire behaviour analysis to support response coordination;
• Increase the number of multi-disciplinary teams conducting investigations of fire ignition causes.