Rising costs and impacts
Europe has warmed at roughly twice the global average rate since the 1980s. As a result, weather-related and climate-related extremes have caused substantial economic and social damage across the continent.
Between 1980 and 2024, climate-related events caused economic losses of approximately EUR 822 billion across the European Union. A quarter of these losses occurred between 2021 and 2024, indicating an increase in the frequency and severity of extreme events. During the same period, such events contributed to more than 441,000 fatalities.
Although greenhouse gas reduction measures remain essential, climate impacts are expected to continue increasing in the coming decades. As a result, climate resilience and adaptation measures play an important role in protecting people, infrastructure and economic activity.
New assessment of adaptation efforts
Two of the newly released EEA publications examine climate resilience measures across different levels of governance, from national governments to local communities. They are accompanied by a new interactive platform that brings together EEA information on extreme weather events.
The report Climate Resilience in Europe 2025 – Progress and Challenges provides an assessment of national climate adaptation policies and actions across 32 EEA member countries. The analysis is based on the latest reporting cycle under the European Union Governance Regulation.
According to the report, all EEA member countries now have national adaptation policies in place. However, significant differences remain in implementation, coordination and evaluation. The findings indicate that progress in planning has not always translated into effective action on the ground.
Gaps between planning and implementation
The report identifies several challenges that continue to affect adaptation efforts across Europe. While climate risk assessments have become more common, countries use different methodologies and cover risks to varying degrees. These differences limit a consistent understanding of climate risks across Europe.
Many countries have strengthened their policy frameworks for adaptation. Nevertheless, coordination across sectors and governance levels remains complex. Unclear responsibilities, varying institutional capacities and uncertain financing continue to hinder effective implementation, particularly at regional and local levels.
The report also highlights differences in monitoring, evaluation and learning systems. These variations make it difficult to determine whether adaptation measures are reducing climate-related risks.
In addition, social vulnerability and equity considerations are not yet systematically integrated into national adaptation strategies.
Need for stronger policy coordination
The EEA concludes that Europe has improved its understanding of climate risks but has not yet consistently translated this knowledge into coordinated action. Opportunities to strengthen the adaptation policy cycle are identified in the report through improved links between risk assessment, preparedness measures, progress monitoring and knowledge sharing.
In addition, the findings point to the need for stronger enabling conditions at European Union level, including a more coherent legal framework for preparedness and climate resilience. This publication comes ahead of the European Commission’s planned Integrated Framework for Climate Resilience, which is expected by the end of 2026.
Heat, floods and droughts remain key risks
Looking ahead, all reporting countries expect heatwaves and rising temperatures to pose increasingly significant risks. Floods and droughts are also expected to intensify, underlining the need for continued investment in climate resilience in Europe.
Read the EEA report “Climate resilience in Europe, 2025 – progress and challenges”
