The Secretary-General of the Confederation of Farmers of Portugal (CAP), Luís Mira, presented this Thursday at the European Parliament the opinion he drafted on the integrated management of forest fire risks in the European Union. The hearing took place before the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (COMAGRI), composed of 49 MEPs, two of whom are of Portuguese nationality, with live broadcast through the European Parliament's website.
Luís Mira was appointed rapporteur of the opinion by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC), the advisory body of the EU that brings together representatives of employers, workers, and civil society organizations. The document, entitled "The European Union's approach to integrated forest fire risk management," was approved by a large majority in the EESC in mid-July.
The Portuguese association leader considered that the presentation before COMAGRI represents an important moment that may constitute a strategic turning point in how Europe deals with rural fires. Mira emphasized that the document demands a structural break with the current forest firefighting model, arguing that the European Union should approach rural fires as a permanent civil security emergency, and not as a seasonal phenomenon or geographically limited to southern Europe.
The opinion also advocates that forest fire management should be viewed as a sovereignty issue for Member States. CAP highlighted that the fact that a Portuguese represents the most important employer and worker representation organization in the EU before a specialized committee of the European Parliament is also a source of pride for Portugal.
