Italy UCPM Wildfire Peer Review – Final report published and handed over

By Knowledge Network – Staff member

The handover took place during a commemorative event organised by the Italian civil protection authorities (Dipartimento della Protezione Civile – DPC) entitled ‘Disaster risk reduction as a tool for growth and cooperation: a day of reflection in the wake of the legacy left by Giuseppe Zamberletti’. Guiseppe Zamberletti is considered one of the founders of Italy’s modern Italian civil protection system.

Commissioner Lahbib commended Italy for its proactive engagement in the peer review process, highlighting that the findings not only provide valuable insights for Italy but also contribute to the broader European effort to strengthen wildfire risk management.

With wildfires being a pan-European risk, a number of countries are working on reviewing their strategies and plans to better manage wildfire risk; the knowledge collected in the peer review report can be useful for civil protection authorities throughout Europe.

After the morning’s presentations and formal handover, a technical roundtable session took place to present and discuss the main findings of the wildfire peer review.

Representatives from the organisations that were involved in the on-site mission week were invited to the technical roundtable along with all regions and autonomous provinces, Department for Regional affairs, Ministry of the Interior, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Economy, Permanent Conference for relations between the State, Regions and Autonomous Provinces, the National Association of Italian municipalities and the National Committee of volunteers.

João Carlos Verde from Portugal, one of the five peer experts involved, presented the key good practices and recommendations identified in the report. João is Head of Policy at the Portuguese Agency for Integrated Rural Fire Management (AGIF). The presentation was followed by an open discussion on the report’s outcomes and the next steps for implementation.

EU Commissioner Lahbib stands next to the Italian Minister for Civil Protection and Maritime Policy, Nello Musumeci. To the right of him is Director General, Ciciliano. — © European Union, 2025

The peer review focused on Italy’s wildfire governance, preparedness, and emergency response systems, with a particular focus on the synergies and coordination between national and regional level.

The report highlights several strengths of Italy’s wildfire management system, including the coordination role of the DPC at the national level and the strong engagement of civil protection volunteers. Also, it provides recommendations for improvements, such as:

Ensuring common minimum standards, capacities, terminology, and processes across all regions to provide equal protection to all citizens.
Developing a national wildfire risk management strategy – supporting regional authorities in preparing and implementing large-scale investments in wildfire prevention and response.
Consider introducing legislation to allow State, Regions, or Municipalities to take fuel management actions on land that are inadequately managed.
Preparing guidelines on prescribed burning.
Introducing a national certification for Incident Commanders (DOS).
Consider developing mechanisms for procuring aerial means for regions at an earlier stage and in a coordinated manner.
Consider setting up standardised requirements for regional fleets, and minimum operating procedures that could help when multiple aircrafts are working simultaneously on the same fire.
Developing key performance indicators to evaluate properly national and regional response operations.
Understanding the underlying structural causes of fires, which would help to identify alternative approaches, raise awareness, and increase community engagement.

At the roundtable, representatives from the European Commission’s DG ECHO gave a presentation of opportunities for EU funding and capacity-building tools that can be used by the Italian authorities for strengthening their wildfire risk system.

Background

Managed by DG ECHO with the support of a technical consultant, the UCPM peer review programme is a tool made available to civil protection authorities of Member States, Participating States, enlargement and neighbourhood countries under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism legislation. Based on an independent analysis conducted by peers from other UCPM countries, peer reviews are a strategic tool for strengthening resilience at the European, national, and sub-national level, with the primary objective to exchange technical knowledge and improve practice.

In September 2023 the Italian civil protection department requested a peer review of their wildfire risk management capabilities under the UCPM Peer Review Programme. Italy is the 18th country to be reviewed under the UCPM peer review programme. The review’s analytical methodology was based on the Wildfire Peer Review Assessment Framework, developed by the Commission in 2023.

The review process for Italy spanned over nine months, with the in-country mission taking place during the week of 20-24 May 2024 in and around Rome. Five experts (‘peers’) selected through an open call, coming from Spain, Portugal, France, and Czechia, participated in the process. Among the many stakeholders met by the peer team were two regions, Sardinia and Calabria.

The review process concluded with the now published final report .

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The Knowledge Network – Staff member

The Knowledge Network editorial team is here to share the news and stories of the Knowledge Network community. We'd love to hear your news, events and personal stories about your life in civil protection and disaster risk management. If you've got a story to share, please contact us.

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