Towards a Resilient Europe: Implementing the EU Preparedness Union Strategy for Climate Disasters

As the climate crisis intensifies, Europe finds itself increasingly vulnerable to natural disasters such as wildfires, floods, and extreme weather events. In response, the European Union has advanced its civil protection capabilities through the development of the EU Preparedness Union Strategy, a forward-looking initiative designed to enhance the Union’s readiness and resilience in the face of emergencies. At the core of this effort lies a vision for coordinated action, knowledge sharing, and the integration of innovative technologies, where projects like TEMA play a crucial role.

The Strategy: Reframing Preparedness in a Changing Climate

Unveiled by the European Commission in late March 2025, the EU Preparedness Union Strategy outlines a comprehensive approach to crisis management, seeking to ensure that both institutions and citizens are better prepared for disruptions.

The EU Preparedness Union Strategy recognises that climate-related disasters are no longer exceptions but increasingly part of the new normal. To address this, the strategy outlines a comprehensive agenda to upgrade Europe’s institutional and systemic resilience.

A key feature of the strategy is the consolidation and expansion of strategic reserves developed under the rescEU framework. Building on the success of these capacities, the Commission aims not only to maintain them, but also to scale them up in response to the growing frequency and intensity of disasters, particularly those driven by climate change. These shared resources can be rapidly deployed through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) when national capabilities are overstretched, enabling a flexible, collective European response to emergencies that increasingly affect multiple countries at once.

Equally vital is the enhancement of early warning systems and real-time risk monitoring infrastructures. By modernising the tools used to detect, track, and model hazards like wildfires or extreme flooding, the European Union is aiming to reduce delays and improve cross-border coordination during high-impact events.

To make these systems effective, the European Union also invests in interagency training, shared response protocols, and scenario-based exercises. These measures are supported and amplified by the Union Civil Protection Knowledge Network (UCPKN), which acts as the European Union’s central hub for civil protection knowledge, training, and innovation. The UCPKN brings together practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to exchange expertise and develop joint operational approaches to climate-related crises.

Moreover, the strategy calls for a stronger integration of scientific research, geospatial technologies, and predictive analytics into emergency management. The goal is not only to react more effectively to disasters, but also to build institutional structures capable of learning, adapting, and anticipating future risks, particularly those driven by the evolving climate landscape.

This dual focus on capacity-building and knowledge-sharing marks a significant shift in the European Union’s approach to disaster preparedness. It underscores the understanding that resilience is not only about having the right tools, but about developing a well-informed, well-coordinated system of institutions ready to act under pressure.

TEMA: Mapping Innovation to Strategy

Within this strategic framework, the TEMA project (Trusted Extremely Precise Mapping and Prediction for Emergency Management) stands out as a concrete example of how innovation is being harnessed to advance European Union objectives in civil protection.

Climate-related events such as floods and wildfires often unfold in unpredictable ways, and traditional methods of planning and response can fall short. TEMA addresses this challenge by creating semantically rich, highly detailed digital twins of affected areas, dynamic data-driven representations of the real world, constructed from sources such as satellite imagery, drone footage, and social media inputs. While these models offer emergency managers unprecedented clarity and situational awareness, it is crucial to recognise that digital twins are interpretative constructs shaped by the quality, scope, and perspective of the underlying data. Their value lies not only in technical precision but in how humans engage with and interpret them to inform timely and effective decision-making during crises.

In practice, this means that responders can make better decisions more quickly. For example, during a flood, TEMA can simulate the movement of water in real-time, identify critical infrastructure at risk, and even forecast how the event may evolve in the hours ahead. These insights not only support tactical decisions on the ground but also feed into long-term planning efforts to mitigate the impact of future disasters.

Importantly, TEMA is actively engaged with the UCPKN to ensure its innovations are shared, tested, and refined through collaboration with practitioners across Europe, including during the recent ITA EU MODEX 2025 exercise.

The TEMA project directly supports several core objectives of the EU Preparedness Union Strategy. It enhances situational awareness, enabling authorities to anticipate and manage the complex dynamics of climate emergencies. It improves interoperability, ensuring different emergency services can coordinate effectively across national borders. And through its involvement in the UCPKN, TEMA also plays a role in disseminating its technological advancements and lessons learned across the broader civil protection community.

As such, TEMA stands not just as a research project but as a strategic asset, translating scientific innovation into practical tools that serve the needs of communities and responders alike.

Building a More Resilient Union

The EU Preparedness Union Strategy marks a pivotal shift in how Europe approaches disaster management, particularly in the context of a changing climate. By emphasising citizen readiness, investing in shared capabilities, and fostering collaborative networks, the European Union is laying the foundation for a safer, more resilient future.

Projects like TEMA exemplify how innovation can bring this vision to life. Through advanced mapping, predictive analytics, and simulation technologies, TEMA is helping civil protection authorities navigate the uncertainties of climate-related disasters with greater confidence and effectiveness. In doing so, it embodies the very spirit of the Preparedness Union: collective strength, informed action and a commitment to safeguarding Europe's citizens in an age of unprecedented environmental challenge.