Europe is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. The first ever European Climate Risk Assessment, published in March 2024, warns us that climate impacts are already here, and climate risks are growing rapidly.
From heatwaves and droughts, to floods and rising sea levels, these risks affect everyone. Most EU countries are already facing severe losses and destruction from climate-related disasters, which impact our societies, infrastructure, ecosystems, financial systems, and the economy at large.
Acting now to increase our resilience and get better prepared is essential to safeguarding Europe’s security and prosperity, boosting its competitiveness, and protecting our health and well-being.
EU action for climate adaptation and resilience
Increasing our climate resilience and preparedness means taking action to prepare for the impacts of climate change, both now and in the future. While we must cut our greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming and reduce its damage to a minimum, we must also prepare for the more adverse climate that will be with us for a long time.
This is why the EU is working on a new integrated framework for European climate resilience and risk management to help Member States prevent and get ready for the growing impacts of climate change. To ensure broad stakeholder input, the Commission has launched an open public consultation on climate resilience, inviting contributions from citizens, experts, and organisations across Europe.
The framework will consist of a balanced policy package, which we plan to adopt during the second half of 2026 following a thorough impact assessment process. The main objective is to establish a more ambitious, comprehensive and coherent EU approach to climate resilience and preparedness, covering individual Member States and the EU as a whole.
The new integrated framework will take the EU Adaptation Strategy adopted in 2021 to the next level, putting its principles and objectives into practice.
Investing in climate adaptation
Delivering effective climate resilience and preparedness requires a clear understanding of the scale and nature of the investments needed to turn policy objectives into concrete action on the ground.
Sound investment evidence is essential to support prioritisation, mobilise public and private funding, and guide Member States in embedding adaptation into national planning and budgeting processes.
A first assessment of climate adaptation investment needs provides estimates by sector and type of measure at both EU and national level, offering a solid evidence base to support policy design, funding decisions, and future monitoring, in line with the European Climate Risk Assessment.
The underlying data and modelling tools are fully documented (see Documents section below) and made available to enhance transparency, enable replication, and support further analytical work by Member States, researchers, and stakeholders.
- Assessment of EU and Member States adaptation investment needs
- Data annex – Assessment of EU and Member States adaptation investment needs
- Methodology report 1 – Climate Risk Identification
- Methodology report 2 – Climate Adaptation Measures
- Methodology report 3 – Identification of Cost Data
- Methodology report 4 – Scaling of Cost Data