The report provides the first comprehensive comparative assessment of wildfire risk assessment methodologies currently applied in Kosovo*, Montenegro, and Albania, establishing a common evidence base for strengthening cross-border wildfire resilience.
The KOMOAL-PREP project has completed one of its first major technical milestones by finalizing a Comparative Report on Fire Risk Assessment Methodologies. The report provides the first comprehensive comparative assessment of wildfire risk assessment methodologies currently applied in Kosovo*, Montenegro and Albania, establishing a common evidence base for strengthening cross-border wildfire resilience.
As climate change continues to increase the frequency and intensity of wildfires across the Western Balkans, effective prevention and preparedness require not only strong national systems but also greater interoperability between neighbouring countries. Since wildfires do not stop at administrative borders, comparable methodologies are essential for coordinated prevention, preparedness, and response.
The report reviews the legal and institutional frameworks, methodological approaches, hazard assessment procedures, GIS applications, scenario development processes, and municipal implementation practices in each participating country. While identifying important strengths within all three national systems, it also highlights methodological differences that currently limit the comparability of wildfire risk assessments and the exchange of information across borders.
One of the report's key conclusions is that greater harmonisation of terminology, assessment principles, geospatial data standards, indicator definitions and risk classification systems would significantly improve regional cooperation without replacing national methodologies. Instead, the objective is to increase interoperability, enabling authorities to better share information, coordinate preparedness activities and support joint decision-making during wildfire events.
The findings will now serve as the technical basis for the next phase of the KOMOAL-PREP project, including stakeholder consultations, validation workshops, and the development of harmonised recommendations that will support future cross-border wildfire risk management across the three participating countries.
Funded by the European Union under the Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network, KOMOAL-PREP aims to strengthen wildfire prevention and preparedness by improving shared risk assessments, interoperable early warning systems, coordinated response procedures and cooperation among civil protection authorities and local communities across Kosovo*, Montenegro and Albania.
*This designation is without prejudice to positions on the status, and in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence