Peer review missions — wildfire risk management in Greece and Italy

Between January and May 2024 I took part in two thematic peer reviews on wildfire risk management, under the EU's Peer Review of Disaster Risk Management and Civil Protection Systems.

The Peer Review gives a country or region the chance to reflect on its readiness to cope with natural and man-made disasters, and to identify ways of improving prevention and preparedness — with outside experts asking the questions a country might not ask itself.

Athens, Greece — 29 January to 2 February 2024

A week reviewing the Greek system end to end: prevention planning, resource coordination, and the interface between civil protection and forestry authorities.

Rome, Italy — 18 to 25 May 2024

A longer mission in Italy, looking closely at how national and regional responsibilities are split for wildfire response, and how that affects surge capacity during severe fire seasons.

Both missions reinforced a recurring theme in this line of work: technical capacity is rarely the bottleneck. The harder problems are almost always about governance — who decides what, and when.