Authorities are investigating suspected arson behind three simultaneous wildfires that erupted on the Greek island of Chios, as exhausted firefighters battled through the night to contain blazes that continue to threaten homes, farmland, and vital infrastructure.

Last year,  over half a million (504,002) hectares, an area twice the size of Luxembourg, was scorched by wildfires, according to an advance report on Forest Fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa 2023 published today by the Commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC).

Decisions on the restitution of the Evros after the great fires are taken by the government with a claim for European funding, while a package of measures in two directions, on the one hand to support the primary sector and on the other hand to restore the natural environment, will be announced by Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Friday.