The Portuguese Government has created the Integrated Prevention and Operations Command (CIPO), an interministerial structure to coordinate wildfire prevention and response, presented in Leiria on April 10. The command brings together the Agency for Integrated Rural Fire Management, the Institute for Nature and Forest Conservation, the National Republican Guard, the Portuguese Firefighters League, the Armed Forces General Staff, and the National Emergency and Civil Protection Authority. Interior Minister stressed it represents "an important change in the way we work and, above all, in the mindset," requiring "continuity, discipline and follow-up." Defence Minister reinforced the Armed Forces' role, noting that "the State must invest to equip the Armed Forces with their own means" to support civil protection, including Black Hawk helicopters. Agriculture and Sea Minister warned of high fuel loads after storms and called for rapid action, stating that in critical areas, if landowners do not remove fallen trees and combustible material, the ICNF will do so.
The creation of CIPO follows a series of recent government initiatives to bolster resilience against natural hazards. On April 9, Portugal signed €9.4 million in emergency river works contracts with 26 Tejo municipalities, part of a broader €35 million package funded by the Environmental Fund. Days earlier, on April 7, the Government advanced €174 million in coastal repairs for Caminha, Mira, and Ovar, addressing storm damage. These actions align with EU-level efforts: on March 25, Commissioner Hadja Lahbib proposed enhanced EU coordination on wildfire risk management, including a permanent programme for exchanging firefighting experts and interoperable equipment. Executive Vice-President Roxana Mînzatu also presented an integrated EU wildfire risk management approach emphasizing prevention, education, and community involvement, while noting that national authorities retain primary responsibility. Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra has pushed for a science-based EU climate resilience law with binding obligations, responding to parliamentary questions on insufficient adaptation efforts.
The new command aims to shift from reactive firefighting to proactive prevention, a theme echoed by EU officials. The Agriculture Minister stressed that "prevention requires action, cooperation and collective responsibility," adding that "the best defence is prevention." The interministerial structure is designed to ensure integrated field response, with the Interior Minister noting it is "a beginning without end on the ground where the result will be ensured." The Government reaffirmed its commitment to anticipate risks, strengthen prevention, and guarantee a more robust and resilient response in the coming months.
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