Spain asks EU to base western Mediterranean wildfire response centre on Mallorca

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has formally requested that the European Union establish a dedicated centre to coordinate responses to wildfires in the western Mediterranean and proposed that it be based on the island of Mallorca.

Sánchez said he had sent a letter to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposing that the new facility be located at the Son San Juan air base on Mallorca.

"The location we propose for the wildfire response centre in the western Mediterranean is the island of Mallorca," Sánchez said.

He warned that Spain is currently battling ten active wildfires of varying intensity, including new blazes reported in the provinces of Zamora and León, while conditions are gradually improving in Ávila and the Madrid region where some evacuation measures have begun to be lifted.

Why Madrid believes a regional hub is needed

Sánchez described the overall situation as "critical" and "extremely complex," stressing that very high temperatures, low humidity and strong winds are allowing fires to spread faster than usual. He argued a regional EU centre would strengthen coordination, logistics and rapid aerial deployment across the western Mediterranean.

The prime minister also urged citizens to follow information only from official channels and verified media, and to avoid misinformation and fake news as authorities work to contain the blazes.

Photo: press material from the event