At the opening of the Plenary Session in Strasbourg, the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola thanked the brave firefighters and emergency workers who crossed borders and risked their lives to help others during the extreme heatwaves this summer.
This summer, Europe experienced yet another record-breaking series of heatwaves. Across our continent, millions of people struggled to cope. Hospital workers fought to protect patients enduring unsafe temperatures at work, and parents tried to shelter children in buildings unsuited to such extremes. Tragically, many thousands of people across our continent lost their lives. Beyond this terrible human cost, the combined threat of extreme heat and wildfires endangered our communities, damaged our ecosystems, and cost our economies billions. Today, as this House mourns those who lost their lives this summer, we turn to the future with determination. On behalf of this Parliament, I want to thank the brave firefighters and all emergency workers who crossed borders and risked their lives to help others this summer. Now, it is up to us in this House to work together so that when the next natural disaster hits, we are better prepared.