News Archive

The Interreg Europe Policy Learning Platform is organising an on-site peer review in September 2025 for the benefit of the intermunicipal organisation Interwaas (Flanders, Belgium) on blue-green infrastructure in urban areas. Deadline for submitting applications to become a peer reviewer is 23 May 2025.

With forecasts up to June, showing drier-than-average conditions in northern and western Europe, the impacts of low rainfall, dry soils, and shrinking rivers are pressuring ecosystems, agriculture, and transport routes across Europe and neighbouring regions, according to Drought in Europe - April 2025 report, published by the EC's Joint Research Centre (JRC).

The EU Mission on Adaptation is a key initiative of the European Commission on empowering regions, cities and local authorities to turn urgency into action. The newly released Activity Report of the Mission on Adaptation to Climate Change provides a comprehensive overview of what has been achieved so far.

A report from the German Environmental Agency (UBA) shows how vocational training can contribute to the implementation of climate change adaptation measures and how relevant skills can be anchored in the vocational training system in Germany. Using the professions of roofer, environmental technologist for water supply and wastewater management and landscape architects, the report analyses which climate adaptation skills are already being taught and which will be required in the future. The report concludes with recommendations for action to better anchor climate adaptation in vocational education and training. An extended executive summary is in English available, the full report is in German.

The EU-funded Interreg Europe Programme, through its Policy Learning Platform, provides an overview of EU initiatives to inspire local and regional authorities and showcase policy recommendations, practical solutions and examples to strengthen water resilience. These include flood control and water retention measures, public-private collaboration with farmers, drought mitigation measures, water quota for irrigation systems in agriculture, and nature restoration of free-flowing rivers, floodplains and peatlands.

After five years of operation, a comprehensive evaluation of the KlimAdapt project, consisting of the German Climate Preparedness Portal (KLiVO-Portal of the Federal Government to support climate adaptation) and its accompanying network, was carried out in 2024. The evaluation examined the impact and use of the portal, particularly from a user perspective. It is divided into five main questions, which were answered through a secondary analysis of existing data and the evaluation of an online survey, a series of interviews and a market analysis.

The latest European State of the Climate report, released jointly by the Copernicus Climate Change Service and the World Meteorological Organization, shows that 2024 has been the warmest year recorded in Europe: eastern parts suffered from extreme heat and drought, while western parts were extremely hot and humid. At the same time, it experienced the most widespread flooding since 2013. On the positive side: European cities are becoming more resilient to climate change.

The temperature is rising, putting the world’s growing urban population at risk. Identifying hotspots and making use of all available data sources is key. The EU-funded CityCLIM project developed a tool specifically to support city administrations to find the best options for urban heat mitigation and adaptation.

In the political guidelines 2024-2029 for the European Commission, President Ursula von der Leyen announced the European Climate Adaptation Plan (ECAP) to support Member States on preparedness and resilience planning. Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra has taken the lead in the work on ECAP. The policy package will be presented during the 2nd half of 2026. Climate resilience and preparedness have already been flagged for particular attention in several key EU policy documents.

The Commission and High Representative launched the Preparedness Union Strategy to support Member States and enhance Europe's capability to prevent and respond to emerging threats. The Strategy includes 30 key actions and a detailed Action Plan to advance the Preparedness Union's objectives, as well as developing a ‘preparedness by design culture' across all EU policies. Among others, it confirms once again the European Climate Adaptation Plan and the Water Resilience Initiative as key upcoming actions.

Climate risk assessments (CRAs) guide national adaptation strategies but often lack integrated analyses. This study reviews national CRAs, highlighting Germany’s latest approach. While progress has been made, a common framework is missing. The findings show that integrated analyses enhance decision-making by revealing risk dynamics and spatial patterns—key for effective adaptation policies.

Until now, federal spending on climate adaptation in Germany was not systematically assessed. A study by the German Environment Agency developed a methodology to analyze the expenditures. Applied to the 2022 federal budget, it identified €2.1–€3.4 billion in adaptation-related spending across 255 budget titles. This approach enables regular reporting, as required by the Climate Adaptation Act and EU regulations. The findings highlight existing adaptation efforts and the need to integrate adaptation measures more effectively into existing funding programs, such as urban development grants. The report is in German with an extensive 10-page summary in English.

According to a European Environment Agency (EEA) briefing, rising temperatures due to climate change are increasing the risk of human exposure to mycotoxins. Those are naturally occurring toxins produced by fungi found in certain foods, feed and crops and can cause harm to human health. Preventing the rise of contamination requires joined-up action on European and national levels, on research, policies and practice to effectively reduce risks.

If you're seeking support to develop your region’s climate resilience strategy or need guidance on innovative finance mechanisms for adaptation, this is your opportunity to get involved. By completing the Expression of Interest survey under the EU-funded Pathways2Resilience project, you’ll receive information on the 2025 call for applicants and have a say in shaping the tailored support program. Local or regional public authorities are invited to complete the survey until 18 April 2025, 18:00 CET.

The LIFE Calls for Proposals 2025 are expected to be published on 24 April 2025. In 2021-2027, the sub-programme Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation co-finances projects in the areas of urban adaptation and land-use planning, resilience of infrastructure, sustainable management of water in drought-prone areas, flood and coastal management, resilience of the agricultural, forestry and tourism sectors, and/or support to the EU's outermost regions: preparedness for extreme weather events, notably in coastal areas.

Even historically water-secure regions like the Paris Metropolitan area are increasingly vulnerable to drought. The new OECD report 'Adapting the Paris Metropolitan Area to a Water-Scarce Future' proposes an innovative approach to evaluate the costs of climate-induced droughts in the region and offers policy recommendations for strengthening urban drought resilience. It builds on international examples that can inspire regions globally.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) published a report highlighting the need to develop joint data- and information sharing processes. Those are fundamental to foster adaptation and efficient cooperation, enhanced resilience and emergency preparedness.

As the world fastest warming continent, Europe is unprepared for the impacts of Earth tipping points being crossed. A Joint Research Centre (JRC) policy brief outlines the need for anticipatory governance to prepare for widespread, cross-boundary, systemic risks resulting from the crossing of Earth system tipping points.

New reports published by the European Commission on the state of water in the EU call for more action across Europe to expand the countries' planning and administrative capacity and adequately invest in flood prevention. The reports will play a crucial role in shaping the upcoming Water Resilience Strategy, which aims to address the most pressing water-related challenges in Europe.

The EU Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) Peer Review Programme for Disaster Risk Management produced a report 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.

Slovenia is launching a seven-year, EUR 27 million project to boost its resilience in the face of climate change. The EU-funded project dubbed Life4Adapt will see the Environment Agency set up a national centre for climate analysis and forecast providing detailed guidelines for adapting to climate change.

Environment minister Serge Wilmes has announced 131 measures to prepare Luxembourg for climate change. As stated in the draft strategy plan presented on 7 February 2025, it is important to take preventive adaptation measures, given that certain studies suggest that the cost of climate inaction is likely to exceed the cost of increasing adaptation to the effects of climate change. Therefore, the adaptation plan has become more ambitious than the previous version.

A new report by the German environmental office describes the development of a methodology for recording direct and indirect federal expenditures on climate adaptation. This developed methodology was applied to the 2022 federal budget on a pilot basis, analysing the adaptation expenditures within that year. The German report includes an English summary.

According to Queen's University, almost 90 per cent of stadiums hosting the 2026 World Cup could face potentially dangerous levels of heat. With climate change and extreme heat becoming a growing problem for sport, some governing bodies for football recommend delaying or postponing games if a metric of heat stress termed “wet bulb globe temperatures” reaches above 28°C to protect its players and spectators.

The Managing Authority of Interreg Greece-Italy Programme is launching the 3rd Call for Operations of Strategic Importance SO2.4. Under the theme “Promoting climate change adaptation and disaster risk prevention and resilience, taking into account eco-system-based approaches”, the call seeks to fund a cross-border project, in which relevant institutions cooperate to make border regions more resilient to common challenges, find shared solutions in the field of climate change adaptation, disaster risk prevention and resilience and to exploit the untapped growth potential in border areas, while enhancing the cooperation process for the purposes of the overall harmonious development of the Union.