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Greece is investing EUR2.1bn to protect the nation from natural disasters induced by climate change, in preparation for the fire-prone season starting in May, as reported by Bloomberg on April 8. Greece has launched the Aegis program, the country’s first initiative aimed at fighting climate-related natural disasters. As the nation’s biggest-ever procurement plan, Aegis will provide new and upgraded equipment to the Ministry of Civil Protection, including amphibious firefighting aircraft, drones for aerial monitoring, fire detection and extinguishing systems, fire control centers, and over1,000 firefighting vehicles. These procurements will be supervised by the Hellenic Republic Asset Development Fund (HRADF), which has issued 16 tenders with a total budget of EUR592m. Statistically, the agency is now managing a portfolio of projects for Aegis that amount to around EUR970m.
Greece has grappled with wildfires exacerbated by climate change in recent years. Last year, wildfire reduced nearly 675 square miles of forest to ashes, equivalent to 1.3% of the country’s total land area. This means a serious deterioration compared to Greece’s historical average loss of around 168 square miles of forest annually between 2006 and 2022. To address this escalating crisis, the Aegis program was launched tosafeguard human life, property, forests, and the country’s natural beauty and ecology amid intensifying climate threats. The program is funded by various financial sources, including the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility, the National Strategic Reference Framework(NSRF), and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
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