Through the European Civil Protection Mechanism (MEC), the European Union has deployed assistance in France and Spain in response to the wildfires that have triggered one of the largest evacuation operations in Europe, displacing more than 300,000 people in both countries.
In France, the European body has deployed seven planes and four helicopters from the Czech Republic, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, and Turkey. Most of these aircraft are part of the firefighting fleet rescEU.
In Spain, the EU has mobilized six planes from Greece, Italy, and Turkey, and has deployed 134 personnel and 41 vehicles from Portugal.
The satellite service Copernicus of the Union also provides high-speed emergency maps to support the on-ground response.
The Emergency Response Coordination Centre of the EU maintains close contact with the French and Spanish authorities to assess what additional support can be mobilized, and a liaison from the European Commission is in Bordeaux to assist national authorities in coordinating EU assistance.
As part of the EU’s preparedness measures for this year’s wildfire season, firefighting teams from other European countries had already positioned themselves in France and Spain before the fires began, allowing them to immediately reinforce national response teams.
The Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management, and Equality, Hadja Lahbib, stated that “at this moment, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to leave their homes, while firefighters battle walls of fire in extreme conditions to save lives and communities. No country should ever have to face a disaster of this magnitude alone. That is why Europe created a common response capacity: aircraft in the air, firefighters on the ground, and more support ready to act as soon as needed. To the citizens of France and Spain: Europe will be with you until the fires are extinguished.”
