Ahead of the start of the fire season, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Thursday a 45-day extension of the deadline for clearing surplus vegetation from plots of land.
The deadline after the extension expires on June 15, 2025.
Obligatory clearing of land plots is a measure aiming to prohibit wildfires from spreading. The fire season in Greece begins on May 1 and ends on October 31.
The measure of clearing plots was introduced in 2025 and plot owners who don’t comply face heavy fines.
During his visit to the climate crisis and civil protection ministry on Thursday, the PM was briefed on the preparation of the state mechanism to respond.
Mitsotakis noted that the fire department’s forces were this year greater than ever, while the number of volunteers is also increasing.
He stressed the great importance of clearing land of undergrowth, noting that this had indisputably protected properties and assisted the fire brigade last year.
“It was right to give an extension until June 15,” said the prime minister, urging a greater degree of plot clearance as part of a collective effort against fires, a phenomenon that becomes ever harder to tackle.
Mitsotakis also noted that the fire department’s forces were this year greater than ever, while the number of volunteers is also increasing.
This year there are reportedly more than 18,000 permanent and seasonal firefighters, which is larger than ever, while in 2022 the force consisted of approximately 15,500 people.
There has also been a significant reinforcement in the fleet of vehicles, which have increased by 270 in the last three years and now number 3,700.
The forest commando units (EMODE), the first six of which were formed in 2022, now number 20 and exceed 1,500 members. In addition, the fire department will be reinforced for another year with almost 300 pre-installed personnel from five European countries.
The prime minister and the leadership of the ministry discussed the progress of the implementation of the “Aegis” program and presented the plan for the more extensive use of drones in Attica and in vulnerable areas throughout the territory, for the immediate detection and rapid first attack of fires.