The EU sends planes and firefighters as wildfires ravage France and Spain

The EU has deployed assistance to both France and Spain under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism as ongoing wildfires have triggered one of the biggest evacuation operations in Europe, displacing more than 300,000 people in France and Spain.

In France, the EU has deployed seven planes and four helicopters from Czechia, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, and Türkiye. Most of these aircraft are part of the rescEU firefighting fleet. In Spain, the EU has mobilized six planes from Greece, Italy and Türkiye, and deployed134 personnel and 41 vehicles from Portugal.

The EU's Copernicus satellite service is also providing rapid emergency maps to support the response on the ground. The EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre remains in close contact with both the French and Spanish authorities, to assess what further support can be potentially mobilised, and a liaison officer from the European Commission is in Bordeaux to help national authorities coordinate EU assistance.

As part of the EU's preparedness measures ahead of this year's wildfire season, firefighting teams from other European countries had already been pre-positioned in France and Spain before the fires began, allowing them to reinforce national responders immediately.

“Right now, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes, while firefighters battle walls of flame in dramatic conditions to save lives and communities. No country should ever have to face a disaster of this scale alone. That is exactly why Europe built a common response capacity:  aircraft in the sky, firefighters on the ground, and more support standing ready the moment it is needed. To the people of France and Spain: Europe will stand with you until the fires are out.” said Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality Commissioner Hadja Lahbib.

When a country asks for help through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, the request is shared with all 37 participating countries. Each can offer the aircraft, helicopters, firefighting teams, equipment or experts it is able to make available, and the Commission coordinates and cofinances their deployment. If those national offers are not enough, the EU can draw on rescEU, its own strategic reserve, which includes a fleet of 22 planes and five helicopters.

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