The EU stands ready to help countries battling wildfires as its disaster response mechanism hits a record 16 activations this summer, the European Commission said on Thursday.
The surge in requests puts the bloc on course for a record-breaking year for emergency deployments, as some of the most destructive wildfires in recent memory continue to rage across Southern Europe and the Balkans.
So far, blazes driven by extreme heat, strong winds and, in some cases, arson have scorched around 440,000 hectares, according to Reuters. That is nearly twice the size of Luxembourg.
Greece, Albania, Cyprus, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, and Bosnia and Herzegovina have all sought help through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which has been in place since 2001 but has seen a sharp rise in use in recent years.
On Wednesday, Spain activated the Civil Protection Mechanism for the first time to tackle forest fires, becoming the 16th activation this summer, Commission spokesperson Eva Hrncirova said. She added that this matches last year’s total with weeks still to go.
The system coordinates cross-border disaster relief and covers the transport and operational costs of deployments, though firefighting remains a national responsibility.
“I think the situation shows that we are able to act very swiftly and that we are able to cover the needs of the states that ask for help,” she said.
“It’s up to the member states to take the right measures to prevent these man-made fires.” But “we are here to coordinate and contribute as much as we can.”
The mechanism can also be activated by any country in the world, even international organisations. For example, earlier this summer, Italian, Cypriot and Croatian planes were deployed in Israel to get a wildfire under control.
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