Wildfires put pressure on France’s presidential candidates

Paris – 04.08.2026: The intensifying wildfire season is making civil protection an early issue in France’s 2027 presidential campaign. Following the latest major fires, candidates and parties are demanding more firefighting aircraft, additional personnel and increased funding for fire services. The debate comes as the state has been working for months on legislation to modernize civil protection, although the bill has yet to be presented.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez launched the wildfire and vegetation fire campaign on June 4 at the Nîmes-Garons civil protection base. The state strategy combines prevention, technological renewal and closer cooperation with local authorities. At the end of July, the Interior and Defence Ministries also agreed with Airbus on a trial operation: an A400M transport aircraft is to be equipped with a water-dropping system and supplement the national firefighting fleet.

However, the need for action extends far beyond aircraft. The Beauvau de la sécurité civile consultation process, launched in 2024, identified shortcomings in funding, organization and recognition of emergency personnel. In July, the Interior Ministry confirmed to parliament that a draft bill was being prepared. It is to be submitted to the prime minister. Political decisions at the Matignon government headquarters are therefore still pending.

Budget figures show how tight the financial scope is. For the Civil Protection program, the 2026 state budget provided commitment appropriations of 994.4 million euros and payment appropriations of 882.7 million euros. Compared with 2025, this represents increases of 15.7 and 6.3 percent respectively. Nevertheless, parliamentary documents point to limited reserves, as fleet renewal, additional reinforcement columns and growing climate-related risks must all be financed at the same time. Added to this are the expenditures of the departments, which bear a substantial share of local fire service costs.

In the emerging campaign, this structural challenge is often reduced to individual procurement decisions. Gabriel Attal is under criticism because his government initiated cuts to civil protection in 2024. Political opponents link those cuts to the failure to order two Canadair aircraft. Candidates from left to right are now calling for higher state subsidies and stronger support for fire services in the departments. Differences lie mainly in prevention, municipal funding and climate policy.

The government points to adjustments already underway, but cannot yet present legislation. Civil protection continues to rely on early fire detection, mandatory vegetation clearance in high-risk areas, and national and European aerial support. If needed, France can request additional firefighting resources through the European Civil Protection Mechanism. The political conflict therefore concerns above all the pace of reform, its financing and the distribution of responsibilities between the state and local authorities.