The Commission’s Communication on managing climate risks sets out how the EU can effectively get ahead of the growing climate-related risks and build greater resilience to the impacts of climate change.
The Communication responds to the first-ever European Climate Risk Assessment published by the European Environment Agency on 11 March 2024 and to other scientific evidence, including the latest Copernicus reports.
The European Climate Risk Assessment is an independent scientific report that looks at the exposure of major European policy areas to climate-related risks and assesses policy readiness. The report also considers how the responsibility for acting on climate risks is distributed between the EU and its Member States, or risk ownership.
The report is part of the implementation of the 2021 EU Adaptation Strategy.
Commission Communication on managing climate risks
The climate crisis threatens lives and livelihoods and jeopardises social systems and economic competitiveness. We can and must take steps to build resilience to climate change to ensure that the provision of basic needs in the EU is not put at risk.
Building climate resilience also presents an opportunity to strengthen EU-wide solidarity, public confidence, social and technological innovation, and a more secure Europe.
The Communication on managing climate risks puts forward a vision for stepping up action to improve our societal and economic resilience and preparedness in the face of the already changed climatic conditions. It is the start of a dialogue on achieving these aims.
It proposes measures to support different actors in addressing their responsibilities with regards to climate risk, from the EU level, national and subnational policymakers to the private sector.
The Communication notes that:
- measures to build resilience to a climate risk must be taken without transferring that risk to someone else in society or increasing the risk down the road (maladaptation)
- action must be taken systemically: solutions to address risks in one sector may need to come from another sector
Action must be taken with transformational measures in mind, accompanied by appropriate support for affected communities so that no one is left behind.
The Communication identifies four overarching categories of solutions:
- improved governance
- tools for empowering risk owners
- harnessing structural policies
- the right preconditions for financial resilience.
It also sets out EU actions in the main impact clusters examined in the European Climate Risk Assessment report: natural ecosystems, water, health, food, infrastructure and the built environment, and the economy.
Next steps
The Communication proposes actions for the EU and its Member States.
The Commission will step up its work with other EU Institutions, Member States, regional and local authorities, citizens and businesses to follow up on these suggestions together to help build the resilience of societies and protect people and prosperity.
The Commission will also look to organise an international symposium in 2025 to take forward cooperation on managing climate risks.