European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen warned that the European Union must adapt its civil protection systems to a world of increasingly frequent, simultaneous and severe emergencies, as an exceptionally early wildfire season placed national firefighting services under growing pressure.
"We must be prepared for a world where extreme events happen more often, in more places, and at the same time," von der Leyen told reporters on Monday from the European Emergency Response Centre, a unit from the Commission’s civil protection department.
