The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) has been established jointly by the European Commission services (DG ENV and JRC) and the relevant fire services in the EU Member States and European countries (Forest Services and Civil Protection services). Research activities for the development of the system initiated at JRC in 1998 and the first EFFIS operations were in the year 2000. In 2003, EFFIS was embedded in the new Regulation (EC) No 2152/2003 (Forest Focus) of the European Council and Parliament on monitoring of forests and environmental interactions until it expired in 2006. Since then EFFIS operated as a voluntary system of information on wildfires until 2015, when it became part of the EU Copernicus program, under the Emergency Management Services. Acting as the focal point of information on forest fires, EFFIS supports the national services in charge wildfire management. Currently, the EFFIS network is made of 43 countries in Europe, Middle East and North Africa. EFFIS provides specific support to the Emergency Response Centre (ERCC) (formerly Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC)) of Civil Protection as regards near-real time information on wildfires during the fire campaigns and assists other DGs through the provision of both pre-fire and post-fire information on wildfire regimes and impacts. It provides information that supports the needs of the European Parliament with regards to wildfire management, impact in natural protected areas and harmonized information on forest fires in the EU.

This report contains an anticipated annual summary of the fire season of 2019 with an analysis of fire danger and areas mapped in the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS). This report precedes that to be published in August/September 2020, which will include detailed reports prepared by countries in the Expert Group on Forest Fires.

This is the 13th Forest Fires in Europe report published by the European Commission. The area covered by the report includes also Middle East and North Africa countries, thus the title has been changed accordingly. The report contains a summary of the 2012 fire season in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa with official statistics on the number of fires and burnt areas compiled by the contributing countries. In addition to country reports with a summary of the past fire season provided by the countries, the report Forest Fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa informs about the latest developments in terms of forest fire prevention and initiatives of the European Commission to support forest fires fire protection activities in the European Union. Furthermore it provides the results of the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) operating during the fire season, with special emphasis on the EFFIS Danger Forecast, providing daily maps of meteorological fire danger forecast of EU, and the EFFIS Rapid Damage Assessment, performing the daily mapping and assessment of main land cover and Natura2000 areas affected by fires of at least 40 ha during the fire season.

This is the 14th Forest Fires in Europe report published by the European Commission. The report contains a summary of the 2013 fire season in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa with official statistics on the number of fires and burnt areas compiled by the contributing countries. In addition to country reports with a summary of the 2013 fire season provided by the countries, the report Forest Fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa informs about the latest developments in terms of forest fire prevention and initiatives of the European Commission to support forest fires fire protection activities in the European Union. Furthermore it provides the results of the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) operating during the fire season, with special emphasis on the EFFIS Danger Forecast, providing daily maps of meteorological fire danger forecast of Europe, and the EFFIS Rapid Damage Assessment, performing the daily mapping and assessment of main land cover and Natura2000 areas affected by fires of at least 40 ha during the fire season.

This report contains the annual summary of the fire season of 2018 with official figures provided by 33 contributing countries for the number of fires, burnt areas and fire prevention efforts, and the analysis of fire danger and areas mapped in the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).

The European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) has been established jointly by the European Commission services (DG ENV and JRC) and the relevant fire services in the EU Member States and European countries (Forest Services and Civil Protection services). Research activities for the development of the system initiated at JRC in 1998 and the first EFFIS operations were in the year 2000. In 2003, EFFIS was embedded in the new Regulation (EC) No 2152/2003 (Forest Focus) of the European Council and Parliament on monitoring of forests and environmental interactions until it expired in 2006. Since then, EFFIS operated as a voluntary system of information on wildfires until 2015, when it became part of the EU Copernicus program, under the Emergency Management Services. Acting as the focal point of information on forest fires, EFFIS supports the national services in charge wildfire management. Currently, the EFFIS network is made of 43 countries in Europe, Middle East and North Africa. EFFIS provides specific support to the Emergency Response Centre (ERCC) of the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) as regards near-real time information on wildfires during the fire campaigns and assists other European Commission Directorate Generals through the provision both pre-fire and post-fire information on wildfire regimes and impacts. It provides information that supports the needs of the European Parliament with regards to wildfire management, impact in natural protected areas and harmonized information on forest fires in the EU. EFFIS also centralises the national fire data that the countries collect through their national forest fire programmes in the so-called EFFIS Fire Database. The EFFIS web services allow users to access near-real time and historical information on wildfires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa. EFFIS provides a continuous monitoring of the fire situation in Europe and the Mediterranean area. The information about the on-going fire season is continuously updated on the EFFIS web site (up to 6 times, daily), which can be interactively queried2.. EFFIS provides daily meteorological fire danger maps and forecasts of fire danger up to 9 days in advance, updated maps of the latest active fires, wildfire perimeters and post-fire evaluation of damage.

This is the 15th issue of the EFFIS annual report on forest fires for the year 2014. This report is consolidated as highly appreciated documentation of the previous year's forest fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa. In its different sections, the report includes information on the evolution of fire danger in the European and Mediterranean regions, the damage caused by fires and detailed description of the fire conditions during the 2014 fire campaign in the majority of countries in the EFFIS network The chapter on national reporting gives an overview of the efforts undertaken at national and regional levels, and provides inspiration for countries exposed to forest fire risk. The preparation and publication of the report aims also at improving cooperation with the members of the EGFF especially with regard to fire prevention actions. Our common aim is to maintain and protect our landscapes and natural heritage, to avoid loss of human lives and to minimise the damage caused to property by uncontrolled forest fires.

This report contains the annual summary of the fire season of 2017 with an analysis of fire danger and areas mapped in the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).