As wildfires continue to affect
multiple European countries, the European Union's Emergency
Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) is working 24/7 to channel
assistance to help tackle the blazes, the European Commission
said earlier in August.
Over the course of July and August, wildfires have been ravaging
in several European countries, including Albania, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Greece, North Macedonia and Portugal. In
response, the EU has activated its Civil Protection Mechanism
(EUCPM) for countries that need help from their partners to
combat the devastating and deadly blazes.
To boost preparedness measures for this summer's fire season,
the Commission has set up the rescEU and European Civil
Protection Pool with aerial capacities that now include 28
airplanes and four helicopters stationed in ten member states.
According to the European Commission, 556 firefighters from
twelve countries are strategically prepositioned across key
locations in Europe - in France, Greece, Portugal, and Spain -
ready to help local fire brigades if forest fires break out.
What is the EU Civil Protection Mechanism?
The European Commission established the EUCPM in 2001. It aims
to strengthen cooperation between participating countries on
civil protection, to improve prevention, preparedness, and
response to disasters.
Any country can request assistance via the EUCPM when struck by
an emergency. The Commission plays a key role in coordinating
the disaster response worldwide, contributing to at least 75
percent of the transport and/or operational costs of
deployments.
In addition to all EU countries, Albania, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Iceland, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia,
Norway, Serbia, Türkiye, and Ukraine also participate, even
though they are not (yet) members of the bloc.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, for example, officially joined the EUCPM
in 2022 - a milestone for the country on the way to being
granted EU candidate status that same year.
Fires near Athens: "EU solidarity in action"
Earlier in August, a massive wildfire in Athens' northeastern
suburbs forced thousands of residents to flee their homes and
triggered a Greek government appeal for international help.
According to experts, this was the first time that a major fire
had come so close to the Greek capital.
In the wake of the fires, Greece formally called on the EU for
assistance on August 12. Since then, several EU member states
have been sending aid to the country. A European Commission
spokesman said the support to Greece included two planes from
Italy, two helicopters from France and Serbia, and ground
firefighting crews from the Czech Republic, France, Italy,
Romania and Serbia. Romanian, Maltese and Moldovan firefighters
were already in Greece, the spokesman said.
Romania has deployed dozens of firefighters and special
equipment to be ready to put out fires in Greece between August
1 and September 15. This is the fourth consecutive year that it
has responded to such requests. Romanian firefighters have also
carried out similar missions in previous years in France,
Slovenia and North Macedonia.
Referring to the widespread support for Greece, European
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a post on X:
"This is EU solidarity in action."
EU mobilises further support across the continent
Over the summer, the EU has also mobilised support to help fight
fires affecting Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, North
Macedonia and Portugal after they activated the disaster
response mechanism.
Albania: Two Romanian planes arrived in Albania in August to
help isolate and extinguish fires in some areas of the country.
The Albanian Ministry of Defense announced that on August 14 and
16 the Romanian planes "Spartan" and "Hercules" intervened to
extinguish fires in the cities of Pogradec and Berat.
Bosnia and Herzegovina: The Council of Ministers of BiH asked
its neighbouring countries for help in extinguishing the fires
that hit the country this year. Assistance was requested in the
form of firefighting units and firefighting aircraft from
countries with which BiH has signed agreements and memoranda on
cooperation in protection and rescue through the EUCPM. The
decision will be valid as long as the danger of fire continues
during 2024.
Bulgaria: Bulgaria received dozens of aircraft, including
airplanes and helicopters, to battle wildfires caused by a
heatwave in mid-July. The Bulgarian government has expressed
gratitude for the help and support provided under the EUCPM.
North Macedonia: In mid-July, planes from Croatia, Serbia,
Slovenia, and Türkiye were being deployed in North Macedonia to
help contain a string of blazes across the country amid a
heatwave. Hundreds of hectares of forest had been burnt and
authorities identified twelve active wildfires at the time.
Portugal: On Wednesday, the Portuguese government announced that
it decided to activate the EUCPM to combat a fire that has been
raging on the island of Madeira (an autonomous region of
Portugal) since August 14. Data from the European Forest Fire
Information System (EFFIS) showed more than 4,930 hectares of
burnt area. With this decision, the way is open for Canadair
planes to be sent from Spain, which had already announced its
willingness to spare two aircraft. They arrived on the island on
Thursday, August 22.
Floods in Slovenia and Italy in 2023
Slovenia learned about the importance of the EUCPM in the
biggest fire in its history in the summer of 2022 and notably
the catastrophic floods that affected two thirds of the country
in August 2023. In the wake of the floods, the country received
support from the mechanism in a variety of forms, from air
support for firefighting in the Karst region along the border
with Italy, to heavy construction equipment, helicopters and
other flood relief.
In May 2023, the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy was
also hit by devastating floods. Following the activation of the
EUCPM, two high-capacity water pumping teams from Slovakia and
Slovenia were sent to Ravenna. Further help had been offered by
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Poland and Romania.
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