EU activates emergency mechanism to support Spain and France against forest fires

Ane Barcos The European Union has activated its Civil Protection Mechanism to coordinate the deployment of firefighting aircraft, specialized equipment, and technical support to Spain and France, after both countries requested assistance to combat several forest fires that have required the mobilization of additional emergency resources. The European response includes resources contributed by various participating states and the support of EU monitoring and coordination systems. The European Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, stated that the European response aims to ensure that the affected countries can count on shared support during the emergency. “No country should have to face a disaster of this scale alone,” she affirmed, emphasizing that the common mechanism allows for the mobilization of “aircraft in the air, firefighters on the ground, and more support ready when needed.” Lahbib added that the European Union will continue to support Spain and France until the firefighting operations are complete. In the case of Spain, the European Union-coordinated response includes six firefighting aircraft provided by Greece, Italy, and Turkey, in addition to the deployment of 134 personnel and 41 vehicles from Portugal. These resources are complemented by support from the European Copernicus satellite observation system, which provides information on the evolution of the fires to facilitate operational planning. The deployment of two helicopters from Turkey was also planned. France has also requested support through the European mechanism. The operation includes the deployment of seven firefighting aircraft from the Czech Republic, Croatia, Germany, Portugal, Slovakia, Sweden, and Turkey, along with four helicopters to reinforce efforts on the ground. The European Commission has also sent a liaison officer to Bordeaux to facilitate coordination with the French authorities. Outside the framework of the EU mechanism, Sweden has also deployed a helicopter to Corsica through a bilateral agreement. The mobilized resources are integrated into national emergency response teams and operate under the coordination of the authorities in each country. Activating the European mechanism allows for the pooling of resources from other participating states without replacing national response systems, through the sharing of aircraft, ground equipment, and technical capabilities. The European Union Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) establishes a system of cooperation between member states and other participating countries to respond to emergencies. Its operation allows countries to request support when a disaster requires capabilities beyond those available at the national level. These operations are coordinated by the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), which receives requests for assistance, analyzes the needs identified by the affected countries, and communicates available resources to the other participants. Through this center, states can offer resources such as aircraft, intervention teams, or specialized personnel. The mechanism combines national resources voluntarily contributed by participating countries with capabilities integrated into the European Civil Protection Reserve. This reserve brings together equipment and resources that have received EU support to enhance their preparedness and ensure they can operate jointly in emergency situations. The European Commission also has additional capabilities to supplement the response when available resources are insufficient. European mobilization is not limited to the transfer of resources, but also involves their integration into the emergency plans of the affected countries. Coordination takes into account technical aspects such as the characteristics of the territory, operational needs, and the capacity of national authorities to incorporate the deployed resources. In addition to responding during an emergency, the European Union maintains preparedness measures for the wildfire season, including the early deployment of firefighting teams from other countries and the exchange of information between member states. As part of these actions, international units had already been deployed to Spain and France to reinforce their response capabilities before the start of the fires.

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