The current wildfire crisis is unlikely to be electorally decisive in either Spain or France, but it will reinforce climate adaptation, emergency preparedness and civil protection as increasingly important national and EU policy priorities while raising political scrutiny of governments' crisis management capabilities. For the past few weeks, several wildfires have taken place in different parts of Spain and France following successive heatwaves, prolonged droughts and exceptionally dry vegetation. In Spain, several major wildfires occurred in regions including Castellon, Guadalajara and Avila, many of which have since been brought under control. As of late July, however, the principal active emergency is the large wildfire affecting the western Community of Madrid and neighboring Avila province, where the fire has burned tens of thousands of hectares, forced the evacuation or confinement of tens of thousands of residents, disrupted transportation and public services, and required the deployment of thousands of firefighters, military personnel...
