European Commission Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera has launched a blistering critique of climate deniers in European politics, accusing them of deliberately misleading the public as wildfires continue to ravage parts of the continent. In an exclusive interview with Euronews, the Spanish commissioner, who oversees the EU's clean, just and competitive transition, said that politicians who dismiss the link between global warming and the current fire crisis are putting lives at risk.
“We have lots of new parliamentarians in the European Parliament, political families and national politicians who are very vocal against climate science and climate action. This is dangerous, they are lying to people,” Ribera told Euronews from Madrid, a city that has been heavily affected by the blazes.
Her remarks come as deadly wildfires burn across Spain, France, and Greece, forcing evacuations and destroying homes and infrastructure. In a pointed analogy, Ribera compared climate denial to encouraging drunk driving: “The closest example would be someone in public office saying you can drink as much whiskey as you want and then drive because road accidents have nothing to do with alcohol, only with the condition of the road or the car. This is stupid.”
A political shift in Brussels
Ribera's intervention is politically sensitive. Over the past year, the EU's focus has moved away from the ambitious climate legislation that defined Ursula von der Leyen's first-term European Green Deal. Instead, competitiveness, industrial policy, and cutting red tape for companies have taken centre stage. Several member-state governments and political groups have urged Brussels to ease environmental rules, arguing that this is the only way to remain competitive against the United States and China.
Among the measures under pressure are the bloc's methane rules, which would require oil and gas producers to reduce and monitor their emissions, and the nature restoration law, seen as crucial for protecting forests and peatlands. Ribera warned against rolling back these policies, insisting that Europe cannot respond to one of its worst wildfire seasons by dismantling the very tools designed to reduce climate risks. While regulation can be simplified, she said, abandoning the foundations of the Green Deal would be a mistake.
The commissioner dismissed claims that the fires are merely part of Europe's seasonal cycle. Instead, she argued that climate change is creating “new types of wildfires” that are more intense and increasingly threaten communities, infrastructure, wildlife, and human lives. More than 10,000 excess deaths were recorded across Europe during late June's extreme heatwaves, underscoring the human cost of inaction.
Ribera's stance aligns with that of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who has also condemned climate denial as Spain battles record blazes. The country has created a scientific panel to guide climate policy, a move that Ribera supports as a model for evidence-based decision-making.
As Europe confronts the rise of so-called sixth-generation wildfires — which are faster, more unpredictable, and harder to contain — the debate over climate policy is intensifying. Ribera's message is clear: denying the science is not just foolish, it is deadly.
