EU Council extends funding to purchase and lease firefighting aircraft and helicopters to 2027

Brussels – Today (May 14), the Council of the European Union has adopted the provision on firefighting. According to the stipulation, the EU funding will extend until 2027, allowing states to purchase and lease firefighting aircraft and helicopters. The first European fleet intended for fire containment should be operational by then.

The decision taken by the Council of the EU continues the strategy of fighting fires undertaken by the EU Commission long ago. One of these measures was the creation of RescEU in 2019, a European civil protection capacity reserve that steps in to help member states protect citizens when, due to disasters, such as fires, existing response capacities are insufficient.

“The fight against the effects of climate change and forest fires must be a priority for the EU and its member states, as was made clear last summer,” said Fernando Grande-Marlaska Gómez, Spain’s Interior Minister, stressing that the EU Council’s decision is key to ensuring “Investment in improving air capacities, both aircraft and helicopters, to fight fires.”