Brussels, 06/03/2026 (Agence Europe) – On Friday 6 March, 18 EU Member States applied to benefit from the ‘rescEU’ mechanism under the European Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM) to coordinate the repatriation of their nationals from the Middle East.. At this stage, ten secure flights have already brought more than 1,000 passengers back to European soil and “other flights are planned for the next few days”, said a European Commission spokeswoman. Several flights have been able to take off from Oman, although details remain limited for security reasons.. The EU will cover up to 75% of the cost of each flight, with at least 30% of seats open to other EU nationals.. “If you are a European citizen, you are never alone in crisis”, the spokeswoman, adding that the priority was to “bring as many as possible European citizens back home to Europe”. (JM)