The Diplomat
Spain has sent one of the Spanish Air Force planes deployed in Turkey to Greece and a team of five soldiers from the Military Emergency Unit (UME) to help fight the fires in the country, according to the Ministry of Defence.
Following the call for European aid to help fight the fires raging in Greece, Spain responded by sending one of the three aircraft from the 43rd Air Force Group deployed in Turkey days ago to fight the fires.
In addition, five soldiers from the UME’s team of international advisors have also been sent to Greece to form the aircraft’s liaison team.
The Spanish contribution is part of the European mechanism set up by the EU to help Greece fight the forest fires that are spreading in various parts of the country.
The aid provided to Greece and other EU countries that are suffering from fires, such as Italy and Cyprus, is channelled through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, through which the Member States provide resources and the European Commission covers 75 percent of the transport and logistics costs. In the words of Crisis Management Commissioner Janez Lenarcic, the assistance deployed by European countries is an “excellent example” of EU solidarity in times of need.
