More than 1,200 doctors, nurses, researchers and other health professionals from 27 European countries are calling for binding European Union measures to address the health effects of extreme heat in an open letter published on 5 November. The signatories are addressing the European Commission and the European Parliament, calling for a Europe-wide action plan, clear minimum standards and targeted funding to reduce deaths and illness during heatwaves. The initiative was launched by the European hub of the Planetary Health Alliance.
The authors criticise existing policies as largely voluntary and fragmented. They call for an operational emergency response to heat events; a binding European “Heat and Health” action plan, with investment in hospitals, care homes, schools and critical infrastructure; the removal of gaps in protection for workers, particularly those working outdoors; and measures to ensure safe indoor temperatures for vulnerable groups. The aim, they say, is to translate scientific findings into immediately effective protective measures and give them legal force.
Prominent support comes from Spain Prominent support comes from Josep Maria Antó, research professor at the Institute for Global Health Barcelona (ISGlobal), considers existing national and European initiatives inadequate to prevent the high rate of heat-related mortality. According to Spanish media reports, Spain recorded more than 5,000 excess deaths associated with extreme heat in the Summer 2026 . The Copernicus Climate Change Service shows that summer 2026 was exceptionally hot in western Europe, with a significantly increased health burden.
Politically, the initiative increases pressure on the European Union’s institutions. If the Commission and Parliament turn key demands into legislation, member states would have to harmonise minimum standards and invest in building, organisational and staffing measures. In the short term, higher spending on healthcare and occupational safety would be likely; in the long term, systematic preparedness could reduce heat-related mortality and ease pressure on health services. The open letter sets out demands from health professionals; decisions by European lawmakers are still pending.
For Spain, which has repeatedly experienced intense heatwaves in recent years, clear requirements for preparedness in hospitals and care facilities, building-based heat protection in schools and occupational safety for outdoor workers would be directly relevant. Barcelona and other cities have introduced heat plans, but the signatories point out that gaps in protection will remain without binding European guidelines and funding.
Editor: Andreas M. Brucker (Article created with AI assistance).