Brussels – Some images remain etched in the memory forever. For Hadja Lahbib, the European Commissioner for Preparedness, Crisis Management and Equality, this is certainly true of the “columns of farmers’ trucks heading to Gironde (a department of France, ed) to support firefighters with water supplies.” With these words, Lahbib reported her visit to the French region, one of the areas hardest hit by the violent forest fires, where she travelled today (30 July) to demonstrate the European Union’s solidarity and to thank the emergency services involved in the firefighting operations.
During her visit, Lahbib met with local authorities and firefighters involved in the operations, thanking them for their work and observing the emergency response efforts up close. Her visit comes as the EU has already launched a major deployment of resources via the
Civil protection mechanism
in response to the request for assistance made by Paris.
There are currently eight aerial fire-fighting units from Croatia, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey, and Luxembourg operating in France, as well as four helicopters sent by the Czech Republic, Germany, and Slovakia. This operation forms part of a wider European mobilisation that also involves Spain, which is grappling with wildfires of exceptional intensity.
“This human solidarity is exactly what we are doing at the European level,” said Lahbib, noting that, since the start of the summer, nearly 800 firefighters from 14 countries have been deployed in the areas of Europe most at risk. “Across Europe, firefighters are leaving their own homes to protect others. They may wear different uniforms and speak different languages, but they are fighting the same fire with the same European spirit,” she said.
The Commissioner also highlighted the role of the European emergency response system, which, in addition to coordinating personnel and resources, uses the Copernicus satellite programme to provide real-time, up-to-date maps of the affected areas. If the resources provided by Member States are insufficient, the EU can also draw on rescEU, the European Strategic Reserve, which has a fleet of 22 aircraft and five firefighting helicopters.
In her speech, Lahbib finally reiterated the link between the increase in wildfires and the climate crisis: “Climate change is no longer knocking at Europe’s door; it is already inside the house. The only response is more unity, more solidarity. More Europe.” However, the issue of prevention remains unresolved: the possibility for the European Union to adopt a common strategy against wildfires, called for yesterday by the European People’s Party (EPP). On this subject, responding to a journalist’s question asking whether any lessons had been learnt from the emergency, Lahbib replied: “There is always something to learn, but at the moment there is no political controversy: there is only solidarity.”
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
