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Europe is facing more and stronger climate hazards, including heatwaves and prolonged droughts. Drought conditions were drier-than-average in eastern/south-eastern Europe during 2024. Around 600,000 km2 of the European Union was exposed to below 2000-2020 average soil moisture levels. In response, vegetation productivity did not recover to the 2000-2020 baseline condition in almost 160,000km2 of south-eastern Europe and Mediterranean regions. Without effective implementation of global climate mitigation as well as EU and national climate adaptation strategies and plans, the impacts of prolonged drought are likely to further increase.