'This is our wake-up call': EU crisis chief slams climate deniers after French fires

In an exclusive interview with Euronews, the EU's crisis chief said the fires served as a "wake up call for Europe" and insisted that prevention is key to reducing the risk of future wildfires as she called to invest more. European Commissioner for crisis management Hadja Lahbib has dismissed claims by climate sceptics that Europe's increasingly destructive wildfire seasons are simply the result of hot summers, describing the blazes sweeping southern Europe as "the biggest wake-up call" in years. "Climate change is not knocking at our door. It is here," Lahbib told Euronews in an exclusive interview from France. "They (climate deniers) should come here and see the situation, open their eyes." Her comments echo those of EU competition chief Teresa Ribera, who told Euronews that climate deniers are "giving alcohol to alcoholics and telling them it's okay to drive." In a separate interview with Euronews, she described it as "dangerous and stupid." The Belgian Commissioner spoke after touring the fire-ravaged Gironde region by helicopter, where more than 42,000 hectares have been destroyed in what French authorities describe as one of the country's worst wildfire disasters in decades. Her comments come as wildfires continue to burn across southern Europe, with France, Greece, Turkey and Tunisia all requesting European emergency assistance in recent weeks. The growing number of cross-border requests reflects what Brussels increasingly views as a continent-wide climate security challenge rather than a series of isolated national emergencies. Lahbib argued that Europe must focus not only on expanding its firefighting capacity but also on investing more heavily in prevention and preparedness. She defended the European Commission's proposal to allocate €10.7 billion for preparedness measures under the EU's next long-term budget, arguing that Europe must become better at anticipating disasters instead of simply responding to them. Greater focus on forest management Lahbib noted that this year's wildfire season began unusually early, with the Netherlands — not typically considered a wildfire hotspot — becoming the first country to activate the EU Civil Protection Mechanism on 30 April. "The season started on 30 April," she said. "We don't know yet how it will end." Piotr Borkowski, Executive Director of the European State Forest Association, said the outlook for the Mediterranean, particularly the Iberian Peninsula, remains "very negative". "Early summer heatwaves have caused extreme moisture loss in vegetation, making it much more susceptible to ignition and allowing fires to spread rapidly and intensely," Borkowski told Euronews. "This points to a high likelihood of extreme wildfires developing, at least until the end of the summer season." Borkowski said the current wildfire season is not being driven by any single new factor, but by long-term structural problems. "The issue is structural and territorial," he said. "The problem lies in the abandonment of traditional landscape management and primary land uses such as forestry, agriculture and livestock farming, alongside the evolving climate conditions."