The European Commission said that hundreds of firefighters and a fleet of aircraft are prepared to tackle wildfires this summer.
556 firefighters from 12 countries will be strategically prepositioned across key locations in Europe over the coming months to help local fire brigades in France; Greece; Portugal, and Spain.
In addition, the EU has assembled a dedicated “rescEU fleet” of firefighting aircraft for this summer.
The fleet consists of 28 airplanes, including amphibious models, and four helicopters stationed in 10 member states.
The commission has allocated a total of €600 million to facilitate the acquisition of 12 new firefighting planes in the future, which will be distributed among six EU Member States.
There are also plans to finance several helicopters to reinforce the EU aerial firefighting fleet.
The EU Commission said that the prepositioning of firefighters and the acquisition of additional firefighting aircraft will bolstering the EU’s capacity to respond effectively to wildfires and mitigate their impact on lives, homes, and the environment.
Wildfires
The 2023 wildfire season was among the worst ever recorded in the EU, according to a commission report.
The Advance report on Forest Fires in Europe, Middle East and North Africa 2023 showed that over half a million hectares, an area twice the size of Luxembourg, was scorched last year.
37% of the total burnt area in 2023 was covered by shrubs and sclerophyllous vegetation, while 26% (120,000 ha) were forests.
The 2023 wildfires produced 20 megatonnes (Mt) of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, which is equivalent to nearly a third of all emissions from international aviation in the EU in one year.
The report, based on data from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), also showed that 117 fires were mapped in Ireland in 2023, covering over 5,000ha, which is slightly above recent years.
Around 36% of the burnt area (1,850 ha) was recorded in Natura 2000 sites.