The European Union is sending emergency support to Greece and Albania as both countries battle severe wildfires, Euronews reports.
The assistance, coordinated under the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism, will provide aerial and ground firefighting resources to Greece and a multipurpose military plane to Albania.
For Greece, the EU is sending two rescue firefighting planes from Italy, a rescue helicopter from France, a chopper offered by Serbia, and additional firefighting teams from Czech Republic, France, Italy, Romania, and Serbia. Albania will receive a multipurpose military plane from Romania, capable of carrying up to 6 tonnes of water.
The EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which can be activated by EU member states and participating non-EU countries, plays a crucial role in responding to disasters across Europe.
The European Commission has announced an investment of €600 million in the mechanism, aiming to bolster its aerial firefighting capacity in response to the increasing threat of wildfires across Europe. This investment will see the purchase of 12 new planes, distributed among six EU member states: Croatia, France, Italy, Greece, Portugal, and Spain.
“This is an important step to acquiring the aircraft which will help protect citizens not just in Croatia and Greece but across Europe,” stated European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič. “It will be 100% paid for by the European Commission as part of our strengthened rescEU fire fighting capacity ready to fight ever more intense wildfires in Europe.”
