Faced with increasingly early and devastating fire risks across Europe (see EUROPE 13841/3), Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Crisis Management, presented, on Tuesday 2 June, the plan deployed by the European Union to prepare for potential wildfires during the 2026 summer.
This plan is built around three major pillars, focused on Member States’ solidarity and responsiveness. The first concerns strengthening aerial capacity: the European firefighting fleet is thus being expanded to a historic level, with 22 firefighting airplanes and five helicopters. Among them, a permanent rescue helicopter will be stationed in Romania for the first time. In the longer term, the coordinated purchase of 12 new Canadair aircraft, fully financed by the EU, has been confirmed for a 2028 delivery.
The second pillar consists in increasing human resources on the ground even before fires break out. Between June and September, a record number of 777 firefighters from 14 Member States will therefore be pre-positioned in high-risk areas in six countries particularly exposed to wildfires: Cyprus, Spain, France, Greece, Italy and Portugal.
Lastly, the EU is stepping up its scientific and operational support. The Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) will provide constant technological monitoring thanks to data from the Copernicus satellite and the European Forest Fire Information System. In addition, the new Cyprus Regional Aerial Firefighting Station (CRAFS) is already operational in Cyprus to optimise equipment deployment and professional training.
Moreover, the Commission underlined that €4.5 billion had been invested in climate adaptation over the 2021-2027 period.
“What used to be the exception is today our new reality: wildfire season starts earlier, lasts longer, and hits harder”, Ms Lahbib acknowledged. “In response, we are presenting our most ambitious and most coordinated plan ever (...) because it is certainly cheaper to prepare than to repair”, she added.
For more information: https://aeur.eu/f/m58 (Original version in French by Justine Manaud)