Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-002438/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Giuseppe Antoci (The Left)
Question E-001700/2024[1] shone a spotlight on the high number of forest fires in Sicily, which alone accounted for around 45 % of the land burnt in Italy in the first eight months of 2024. In its answer of 29 October 2024, the Commission referred to the use of several European instruments: the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM), the rescEU fund, the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Sicily programme 2021-2027[2] and European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) funding.
However, given the new fires recorded in June 2025, it is clear that Sicily remains highly exposed, raising doubts about whether prevention and resilience measures are being implemented effectively[3].
In September 2023, the Commission launched a pilot exercise to assess EU-funded measures to tackle forest fires in Greece and Italy. According to the European Court of Auditors’ special report 16/2025, those funds are not always used effectively, nor are they allocated systematically to the areas at highest risk or with a long-term perspective, thus undermining the effectiveness of action on the ground[4].
Can the Commission therefore say:
- 1.What specific conclusions concerning Italy, and particularly Sicily, were reached in the pilot exercise?
- 2.What is the state of play with regard to fire prevention resources in the implementation of the ERDF Sicily programme 2021-2027?
Submitted: 17.6.2025
- [1] https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/E-10-2024-001700_EN.html
- [2] EUR 204 million for environmental risks, of which EUR 55 million was earmarked for fire prevention.
- [3] https://www.codaconsicilia.it/incendi-in-sicilia-il-codacons-denuncia-gravi-fallimenti-nel-sistema-di-prevenzione/.
- [4] https://www.eca.europa.eu/ECAPublications/SR-2025-16/SR-2025-16_EN.pdf