European Union mobilizes aid for France and Spain to combat forest fires

Brussels, July 27 (KUNA) -- The European Union announced on Monday the dispatch of aid to France and Spain through its Civil Protection Mechanism amid raging forest fires that have triggered one of Europe’s largest evacuations, displacing more than 300,000 people in the two countries.

In a statement, the EU said it had deployed seven aircraft and four helicopters from the Czech Republic, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, and Turkey to France, noting that most of these aircraft are part of the European RescEU firefighting fleet. It added that in Spain, six aircraft from Greece, Italy, and Turkey were mobilized, alongside the deployment of 134 personnel and 41 vehicles from Portugal.

The statement clarified that the European Union’s Copernicus satellite service is also providing rapid emergency maps to support on-the-ground response efforts, while the EU’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre continues close coordination with French and Spanish authorities to assess the possibility of mobilizing additional support.

It noted that firefighting teams from other European countries had been pre-deployed in France and Spain before the fires broke out, as part of preparedness measures for this year’s wildfire season, enabling them to immediately bolster national response teams.

The statement quoted EU Commissioner for Crisis Preparedness and Equality, Janez Lenarčič, as saying, “Hundreds of thousands of people have so far been forced to flee their homes, while firefighters are battling walls of flame under tragic conditions to save lives and communities.”

Lenarčič added that Europe has established a joint response capacity encompassing aerial assets and ground firefighting teams, along with additional support ready for deployment when needed. (End) A.R.N. / H.M.F.