Portugal's Climate Defences Lag Despite €1 Billion EU Investment, Expert Warns

Mónica Amaral Ferreira, president of the European Urban Risk Centre (CERU), has criticised Portugal's handling of extreme weather events. She argues that governance failures have left the country poorly prepared for disasters like wildfires and floods. Her warnings come despite recent improvements in infrastructure resilience.

Over the past five years, Portugal has strengthened its defences against extreme weather. Through the National Resilience Plan (PNR 2030), it invested over €1 billion from EU funds, including NextGenerationEU. These efforts focused on early warning systems and flood protection, placing Portugal ahead of neighbours like Spain, Italy and Greece, according to the European Environment Agency and the World Risk Index 2025.

Yet Ferreira highlights persistent weaknesses. She notes that critical infrastructure—hospitals, schools and daycare centres—remains poorly located in high-risk zones. Her biggest concern is the slow pace of prevention investment, calling it the main obstacle to better risk management.

She also warns of a potential earthquake, which could cause far greater damage than recent storms. Without urgent action, she suggests, existing vulnerabilities will only worsen.

Portugal has made progress in climate adaptation, but key gaps remain. Poor planning for essential services and delayed prevention spending continue to pose risks. Ferreira's critique underscores the need for faster, more targeted measures to protect communities from future disasters.