Seven Italian MEPs from the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, led by Ruggero Razza, have submitted a parliamentary question to the European Commission urging stronger EU action on extreme heatwaves, citing over 1,300 excess deaths in Europe since 21 June according to the World Health Organization. The MEPs warn that heatwaves are increasingly affecting Mediterranean member states — including Italy, Spain, Greece and Portugal — with growing frequency and duration, threatening vulnerable populations, electricity grids, water resources, farming, forests, and civil protection capacities.
The question, tabled on 3 July 2026, asks the Commission three concrete points: whether it will support follow-up preventive measures and social and health assistance for the elderly and most vulnerable during summer; whether the European Preparedness and Resilience Strategy adequately prioritises extreme heatwave risk; and whether the current Union Civil Protection Mechanism is sufficient for the rise in extreme weather events, or if the Commission will propose strengthening it.
The MEPs' intervention signals a push for the EU to treat heatwaves as a systemic crisis requiring cross-sectoral preparedness, rather than a seasonal weather phenomenon. The question implies that existing EU frameworks may be under-calibrated for the accelerating climate threat, particularly in southern Europe. The Commission is expected to respond within approximately six weeks; its answer will indicate whether it shares the MEPs' assessment and whether legislative or operational changes to the Civil Protection Mechanism are under consideration.
Elderly and vulnerable populations in southern Europe stand to benefit from stronger preventive health measures. National civil protection agencies in Mediterranean states could face increased coordination demands if the mechanism is expanded. EU taxpayers may bear additional costs for upgraded preparedness infrastructure. The farming and energy sectors, already strained by heatwaves, could gain from more systematic EU-level support.