As wildfires begin to affect multiple countries across Europe, the EU’s prepositioned fire firefighters have already begun to battle the flames on the ground. In Greece, firefighters from Bulgaria have worked alongside their Greek counterparts in Halkidiki to battle fires this week. Romanian firefighters stationed in southern France have also assisted local French teams in responding to a fire near Perpignan.
These examples are part of the EU’s summer wildfire preparedness where almost 650 firefighters from 14 European countries have been strategically positioned in key high-risk locations in France, Greece, Portugal, and Spain. They will boost the number of firefighters in each country.
In addition, 22 firefighting airplanes and 4 helicopters are stationed in 10 Member States to intervene in case of need. Coordinated and co-financed via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, these resources will help mitigate risks and enable a faster and more robust crisis response. These assets come on top of national capacities.
The EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre is closely monitoring developments and stands ready to provide support via the Civil Protection Mechanism if requested.
