Greek Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Evangelos Tournas presented a comprehensive bill to streamline post-disaster state aid during a meeting of the parliamentary Committee on Production and Trade.
The legislation, titled New framework of housing assistance measures and other relief after natural disasters, improvement of the framework of state relief and private insurance of enterprises against natural disasters, aims to create a faster, simpler, more transparent, and more effective recovery mechanism from initial emergency support to final building reconstruction.
Tournas told committee members that civil protection relies on three core pillars of disaster management, consisting of prevention, response, and restoration. He emphasized that the proposed bill answers how the state responds to citizens on the day after a natural disaster.
Turning to current fire season operations, Tournas reported that Greece recorded approximately 3,100 wildfires since the start of the fire season, including more than 900 blazes during August. Despite the high volume, he noted that the total number of fires represents a 22.5 percent reduction compared to the 20-year national average, although 3,100 remains an extraordinarily high figure for a country vulnerable to climate risks.
He stated that 98 percent of the wildfires were tackled immediately without causing extensive damage, attributing the success to a newly established operational mechanism that did not exist under previous administrations.
Severe weather and wildfires in Crete
Tournas acknowledged that four severe wildfires between July 28 and early August accounted for the remaining two percent of incidents, resulting in the loss of 200,000 stremmata of land. He explained that extreme gale-force winds exceeding 100 kilometres per hour, recorded by meteorology anemometers, severely hampered both ground and aerial firefighting operations.
He noted that north-easterly winds blowing towards the south and west turned into katabatic downbursts, accelerating as they descended terrain and creating severe air turbulence. In several instances, firefighting aircraft were unable to take off, while others reached affected zones but could not scoop water or perform drops.
In southern Crete, a wildfire originated in Krya Vrysi within the Agios Vasileios municipality of Rethymno and advanced at extreme speed. Tournas stated that ground forces could not intervene in time, resulting in the tragic deaths of two firefighters, whom he described as exceptional professionals whose loss deeply shook the Fire Service and civil protection mechanism.
Four local aircraft stationed on Crete took off but could not descend below 3,000 feet due to violent turbulence. Additional Canadair aircraft were dispatched from Elefsina air base near Athens, while six Air Tractor aircraft carrying liquid retardant launched from Tatoi. Due to severe turbulence, the Air Tractors were unable to release their retardant over the flames and were forced to jettison the liquid into the sea before returning to base.
Boeotia blazes and maritime rescue operations
Similar atmospheric conditions impacted central Greece on July 31, when a fire broke out at approximately 07:30 near Xiromomi in Boeotia under gale-force winds. At 09:04, a second fire erupted in Agios Vasileios, Boeotia, causing operational commanders to divert airborne units.
Aircraft ordering 51 sorties flew to the area but were unable to carry out a single water drop or scoop water due to wind intensity until approximately 12:30 p.m. the following day, Saturday, August 1. Ground crews were left to battle the blazes alone while struggling to navigate difficult, mountainous terrain.
Addressing criticism of the 112 emergency alert system, Tournas urged public figures to avoid undermining public trust in emergency warnings, warning that doubting the system could cause citizens to ignore alerts during life-threatening situations.
He cited the Agios Vasileios fire in Boeotia, where flames isolated the coastal area from the surrounding mountain mass. Following the fire outbreak at 09:04, civil protection authorities dispatched a 112 text alert at 09:37 advising a preventive evacuation of a closed beach. When beachgoers failed to leave immediately, emergency services launched a sea rescue operation. Using newly acquired Rafnar rigid inflatable boats from the Fire Service along with Coast Guard vessels, rescuers safely evacuated 254 people by sea to Livadostra, where buses transported them to safety.
Fire Service fleet additions and digital upgrades
Tournas outlined ongoing structural upgrades to the civil protection infrastructure, noting that 1,100 personnel are being recruited into the Fire Service annually until staffing targets are fully met.
Greece is also building its own dedicated state aerial firefighting fleet. The minister announced that the first two Super Puma heavy-duty helicopters will arrive in autumn, forming part of an eventual eight-helicopter heavy fleet. Furthermore, seven new Canadair water-bomber aircraft are currently on the production line following the reopening of Canada assembly line. Two of the aircraft are directly funded by the European Union through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, while five are funded through Greece national AIGIS procurement program.
Ground equipment capacity has also expanded, with the Fire Service taking delivery of more than 400 new vehicles, while forestry services received 150 vehicles. The National Emergency Aid Centre, EKAB, is scheduled to receive its own fleet of vehicles and ambulances by the end of the year. Additionally, DIKAFKA, the Construction and Natural Disaster Response Directorate of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, has acquired heavy machinery to carry out civil protection projects.
Digital infrastructure upgrades include the installation of new weather radar systems for the Hellenic National Meteorological Service, EMY, automated fire detection systems across 22 archaeological sites, satellite tracking tools providing real-time operational imaging, and upgrades to both the ENGAGE command system and the 112 emergency network.
Forestry prevention programs and municipal funding
Defending the AntiNero forest prevention initiative, Tournas argued that Greek forests and rural areas had suffered decades of neglect after traditional forestry workers, resin collectors, farmers, and livestock herders stopped managing the underbrush. He emphasized that decades of unmanaged growth cannot be cleared instantly.
Under the AntiNero program, crews are clearing peri-urban forests and parks, constructing forest access roads for emergency vehicles, and cutting firebreak zones. To support local preventive efforts, national funding for municipalities was raised from a historical annual total of 18.5 million euros across all municipalities to 50 million euros this year, coordinated with the Union of Municipalities. Municipalities with completed technical plans can access further funding through the Green Fund.
Tournas also highlighted citizen involvement, reporting that property owners completed 776,000 plot and private land clearings around homes this year under civil protection guidelines aimed at reducing neighborhood fire risks.
Overhaul of state post-disaster housing assistance
The minister detailed the bill legislative reforms, beginning with renaming state housing assistance to housing aid to reflect broader state responsibility beyond financial handouts, organizing the entire recovery process from beneficiary identification to building restoration.
The law expands beneficiary eligibility and resolves legal deadlocks, such as undivided co-ownership, allowing a single co-owner to receive 100 percent of housing aid even if other owners remain inactive. The entire application and tracking process will be digitised within the e-Adeies online building permit information system to cut red tape and increase transparency.
The bill introduces flexible housing recovery choices beyond repair or rebuilds, including self-housing grants and funding to complete alternative buildings for property owners in landslide zones or threatened areas. Lump-sum emergency grants will cover living needs and structural repairs while expanding coverage to auxiliary spaces, parking areas, elevators, heating burners, and boilers. Temporary housing allowances, rent subsidies, and cohabitation stipends are also codified.
For temporary prefabricated housing units, the bill establishes a tracking registry for public inventory management, detailing allocation, usage duration, and return procedures. Used mobile units may also be transferred to public or non-profit entities for non-residential community uses.
Property limits and financial protection rules
To resolve deadlocks in multi-unit apartment buildings, the legislation creates a special administrator role to push forward repairs to shared common areas when co-owners cannot reach agreement. A designated framework is also established to fast-track repairs on damaged public sector buildings and restore essential public services.
Housing aid will be capped at 150 square metres per independent residential property and 500 square metres for designated commercial production facilities. All housing aid funds will remain tax-free, non-transferable, immune from seizure or garnishment, and exempt from offsetting against debts owed to the state or private creditors.
Independent audit department and contract extensions
To prevent fraud, Tournas announced the creation of an independent audit department within the ministry to conduct sample and on-site inspections, reclaim improper payments, and mandate longer record-retention periods for business claims.
Finally, the bill unifies and extends fixed-term private law staff contracts to a single end date, maintaining continuous service operation while the ministry prepares to publish its new organizational chart detailing long-term staffing requirements.
Tournas concluded that state aid tests the relationship of trust between citizens and the government, stating that disaster victims require clear answers on eligibility, application procedures, payout timelines, and return to normalcy rather than bureaucratic delays.
