Spain has urged the European Union to create a dedicated climate adaptation fund and introduce binding targets to help countries prepare for worsening extreme weather.
EU countries have suffered €822 billion in climate-related losses since 1980, according to Madrid’s estimates. Around a quarter of those losses came between 2021 and 2024.
Spain’s Environment Minister, Sara Aagesen, said reactive policies were no longer enough. In a letter to EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, she argued that Europe needed stronger measures to protect its security, prosperity and competitiveness.
Rising temperatures, droughts and wildfires have hit Spain particularly hard. The government says responding to disasters after they happen is no longer sufficient.
Under the proposal, climate risk assessments would be carried out every five years at European, national and regional levels. The findings would feed into infrastructure planning, land use, public policy and investment decisions.
Madrid is also seeking binding adaptation targets for the short, medium and long term. These would initially cover water, health, infrastructure, forests, tourism, agriculture and fisheries.
A dedicated fund would help finance the measures. Possible sources include levies on oil and gas profits, common EU debt instruments and a public-private European reinsurance scheme.
The plan would also turn rescEU into a permanent climate emergency response system, with shared equipment, common protocols and a dedicated aerial firefighting fleet. Climate-risk bonds have also been suggested to help cover losses.
The European Commission said climate adaptation funding is already being discussed as part of the EU’s 2028-2034 budget negotiations. Spain’s Environment Ministry said the proposal has been shared with other EU countries.
