Brussels – “We are monitoring the situation with great concern because, following Portugal, fires are now breaking out in France and Spain, and summer has only just begun.” This was stated today (24 July) by the European Commission spokesperson, Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, regarding the violent fires in the two countries. The situation has already forced thousands of people to leave their homes, prompting the two governments to declare a national state of emergency.
Spain has requested the activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism—a European Union instrument established in 2001 to coordinate the rapid and effective response of Member States and other participating countries in the event of natural or man-made disasters—and the Berlaymont Building has mobilised “four aircraft equipped with Copernicus satellite imagery to support the response on the ground,” two of which took off from Greece and two from Italy, as well as 44 Canadair aircraft.
In explaining how the EU’s civil protection mechanism and rescue service work, the spokesperson emphasised that it is up to the Member States to submit a request for assistance, to which the Commission responds by deploying the Union’s “common resources.” According to figures provided by Itkonen, the EU has a “strategic reserve” comprising 22 aeroplanes and 5 helicopters. In addition, a group of “777 firefighters is pre-positioned in areas and Member States” that are at risk. Itkonen also emphasised that the EU is ready to “take immediate action and support local firefighting teams,” but that “the responsibility for tackling forest fires lies with the Member States” and their authorities.
Regarding the situation in the Bordeaux region of France, the spokesperson announced that “France’s request for assistance to activate the European Civil Protection Mechanism was received yesterday.” In addition to the Copernicus satellite service, “we have deployed two Air Tractor aircraft based in Portugal, a Black Hawk helicopter from Slovakia, another Black Hawk from the Czech Republic, and a Canadian aircraft from Croatia,” she said, adding that the assets are currently deployed mainly in the Gironde region and in Nîmes.
“Generally speaking, we act in response to requests we receive from Member States, and the fleet at our disposal is part of our response,” she sought to reassure in response to questions about the action to be taken in the event of multiple emergencies and requests for assistance at the same time. Furthermore, “Member States can assist neighbouring countries,” and the EU executive also has “a mechanism that allows us to match requests for help with those able to provide it.” Of course, “we hope all hell doesn’t break loose, but we are preparing for a serious situation, given that we will be seeing these extreme weather events with greater frequency and they will be more intense and brutal,” she concluded.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
