To ensure that the EU is prepared for large-scale forest fires this season, the European Commission has set up a European fleet of 11 aircraft and 6 fire-fighting helicopters under rescEU, the equipment pool of the EU’s reinforced civil protection mechanism. The institution announced this on Monday 21 June, the same day it published guidelines for Member States to strengthen their fire prevention measures.
The fleet includes two aircraft from Croatia, two from Greece, two from Italy, two from Spain, six helicopters from Sweden, as well as one aircraft from France and two from Sweden that are part of the long-term rescEU fleet. “It can be deployed quickly and at any time during this forest fire season. The fleet is strategically positioned” in these countries, stresses the Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, in a statement, thanking these Member States.
The risk of forest fires this summer is forecast to be above average, with higher than average temperatures expected from June to September in the Mediterranean region, the Commission says.
The guidelines are based on good governance, proper planning, effective forest management, and EU funding sources.
See the document: https://bit.ly/3qfoXJA (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)