The Wildfire Peer Review Report – Italy 2024, the most comprehensive and up to date document of its kind, which reveals Italy’s great progress in wildfire risk management, has officially been published. The report, developed under the 2020–2024 Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) Peer Review Programme, funded by the European Commission and supported by CMCC, provides a cutting edge analysis of Italy’s wildfire risk management system, outlining existing strengths but also recommendations to further advance and improve capabilities.

On 24 January 2025, the European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, Hadja Lahbib, formally handed over the Wildfire Peer Review Report – Italy 2024 to Italian authorities during a high-level political event held in Rome.

In addition to showcasing the good practices and strengths of the wildfire risk management system, the report provides suggestions to further strengthen governance, with an emphasis on improving horizontal and vertical coordination among all key stakeholders.

The Italian Civil Protection Department (DPC) requested the peer review in September 2023 to assess and enhance wildfire risk management capabilities. A team of five experts (peers) from Spain, Portugal, France, and the Czech Republic, alongside representatives from DG ECHO and technical and logistical support from CMCC scientists, conducted the on-site mission in Rome from 20 to 24 May 2024.

The final report has successfully delivered a detailed analysis of Italy’s wildfire risk management system, including findings from the mission, examples of good practices, and targeted recommendations for improvement.

“The report highlights how the Italian Civil Protection is a well-structured and integrated service, with evident capabilities to effectively manage disaster risks through a holistic and inclusive approach,” says CMCC researcher Veronica Casartelli. “When it comes to wildfires, Italy has made significant progress in recent years, promoting integrated risk management and moving away from an approach focused solely on suppression.”

At the start of the technical workshop, held on 24 January, the European Commission, the Department of Civil Protection, and the Portuguese expert representing all the “peers”, expressed their gratitude to CMCC for the excellent work carried out and the effective support provided throughout the review process.

CMCC scientists supported the entire implementation of the review in its various phases, not only from a technical perspective – making substantial contributions to drafting the report – but also in terms of logistics and organization.

This publication joins a series of reports – including Romania (2022), Moldova (2023), Greece (2024), and the upcoming Land Brandenburg report – produced with CMCC’s technical assistance under the UCPM Peer Review Programme.

More information:

The Wildfire Peer Review Report – Italy 2024 is now available on the European Commission’s website and the UCPM Knowledge Network platform.