This year, the European Civil Protection Mechanism was activated 11 times for forest fires across Europe
After a disastrous summer, in which thousands of hectares of European forests were destroyed in wildfires, the European Commission is organizing a high-level meeting to already start working on preparedness measures for next year. Ministers responsible for civil protection of the EU Member States and the participating states of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism will hold a high-level emergency coordination meeting in Brussels today, in close cooperation with the Czech Presidency of the Council of the EU. The conclusions of the meeting will be published within the day.
Commissioner for Crisis Management Mr. Janes Lenarcic said: “The summer may not be over yet, but it is already clear that this year’s fire season is unprecedented for the EU. Forest fires have become a pan-European problem, which affects us all. While emergency services continue to be active in monitoring and fighting fires, as policy makers we need to look to the future and make swift and strong political commitments to do more, both at national and EU level , to improve the EU’s preparedness for future fire seasons and avoid the worst.”
This year, the European Civil Protection Mechanism was activated 11 times for forest fires across Europe and, thanks to the unprecedented solidarity of Member States, the Emergency Coordination Center coordinated 33 firefighting aircraft missions and eight helicopter missions. Thanks to the rescEU fleet, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism responded quickly and efficiently to most requests made this year, providing immediate and effective support whenever capacities were available. In addition, the EU emergency satellite ‘Copernicus’ continues to provide damage assessment maps of the fire-affected areas. The purpose of the meeting is to hold a political dialogue on the need to rapidly strengthen forest fire prevention, preparedness and response capacities, both at national level and within the framework of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
Athena Papakosta
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