CESI@noon on wildfire management

WILDFIRE MANAGEMENT
CESI@NOON

🕛 Date and time: April 20 2026, 13:00–14:30
📍 Venue: CESI (Avenue des Arts 19AD, Brussels) and online (Zoom)
🔗 Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/KqHObIYXQvW9oAoefte_2g
🌐 Language: EN

CESI@noon

EU Wildfire Management Communication and frontline workers

We are pleased to invite you to the CESI@noon hybrid meeting on a Communication of the European Commission on an integrated wildfire management system, which was published on Wednesday March 25 (CESI’s coverage is available here).

Wildfires are becoming an increasingly pressing challenge across Europe, with serious consequences for workers, emergency services, public safety and communities. In this context, the upcoming Communication offers an important opportunity to reflect on wildfire prevention, preparedness, response and resilience and on the adequate protection of involved and affected frontline workers, including in fire brigades, emergency rescue services and other civil protection bodies.

This event will provide a space to:
• discuss the main expected elements of the Communication
• exchange related experiences, views and priorities from the perspective of trade unions and concerned personnel
• identify key priorities regarding affected workers’ occupational safety and health, working conditions, training, equipment, civil protection coordination and social dialogue
• consider possible trade union contributions to the debate at European level

Provisional agenda:

12:30 Light lunch

13:00 Welcome address & introduction
Klaus Heeger, Secretary General of CESI

13:05 Wildfire risk management in the EU: insights from the Commission’s recent Communication
Hans Das, Deputy Director-General and Chief Operations Officer for the European Commission's Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO)

13:25 Delivering on the wildfire prevention and management priorities of the European Parliament Intergroup on ‘Resilience, Disaster Management and Civil Protection’
MEP Grégory Allione, Co-Chair of the European Parliament Intergroup on ‘Resilience, Disaster Management and Civil Protection’ (tbc)

13:35 Main priorities from the frontline workers’ perspective
• Frédéric Monchy, President of the French firefighter trade union SNSPP-PATS
• Alain Laratta, Secretary General of the French firefighter trade union Avenir Secours
• NN, CNV Connectief
• NN, EPAYPS

14:10 Questions and answers

14:25 Conclusions and the way forward