EU: 700,000 hectares burned this year, commission proposes 'European firefighters'

The European Union recorded about 700,000 hectares burned by wildfires this year, and in 16 member states the area affected exceeded the long‑term average, lawmakers heard in the European Parliament.

EU Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, warned that losses from heatwaves, droughts and fires in the EU have already reached 28.3 billion euros, with agriculture among the hardest hit sectors.

Joint firefighting capacity and a new Mediterranean hub

Brussels is promoting a new approach to large wildfires that envisages closer integration of national services and pooled deployment of assets — a concept framed in official proposals as creating “European firefighters” who can be more rapidly mobilised when a member state faces major blazes.

Only this summer the EU answered 10 requests for assistance from member states and two requests from countries outside Europe. Air assets were deployed 40 times and 18 ground teams were engaged, bringing a total of 777 firefighters from 14 European countries to the field.

At present the Union has 18 firefighting aircraft and five helicopters available. Plans announced include the establishment of a firefighting centre on Cyprus for the Mediterranean region, equipped with six Canadair water‑bombers and facilities to train crews and firefighters.

Officials say the emphasis going forward will shift from reacting after catastrophic fires to strengthening prevention, preparedness and the rapid deployment of joint capacities across the EU.

Photo: press material from the event