Brussels, 28/07/2008 (Agence Europe) - The Community's Civil Protection Mechanism, deployed by the European Commission (DG Environment), has for several days been on the point of helping Greece put out the massive forest fires that have devastated around 5000 hectares on the island of Rhodes.
Stavros Dimas, the European Commissioner for environment and civil protection, sees this as representing, “a high degree of solidarity of European countries. But it is also evidence of the improvements that were made in the deployment of help after the experience of last year's forest fires”
On 24 July, against a backdrop of soaring temperatures, Greece asked for European assistance. The European Commission immediatley activated the Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC), which coordinates civil protection resources provided to member states. Four fire-fighting aircraft (two Italian and two French) and a Cypriot helicopter are already in action.
These offers of help have enabled the EU to implement, for the first time, the civil protection “modules” recently introduced into Community legislation to help specialist teams from different member states to be mobilised very rapidly, 6-12 hours after assistance is requested. (A.N./trans/rh)