EU to double firefighting aircraft resources
Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič announced that the EU will double the capacity of firefighting aircraft resources this summer.
During the UCPM seminar on ‘Lessons identified from the 2022 wildfire season’, which took place in Lisbon between 10 and 11 January with representatives from more than 30 countries Commissioner Janez Lenarčič announced that the EU will have double the capacity of aerial firefighting resources next summer compared to last year. Within the scope of the rescEU reserve, more airplanes and helicopters will be pre-positioned before the summer season.
“In the summer, this European reserve [rescEU] ran out at one point and, more than once, we didn't have the capacity available at the European level to help the affected countries” he said, explaining the need for an improved capacity. The 2022 fire season brought the highest number of fires since 2006, with fires destroying more than 800,000 hectares of land across the European continent, which resulted in several countries asking for international assistance. For the Commissioner, however, first responsibility for disaster preparedness lies with each Member State, which must have "reasonable and sufficient capacity to enable it to respond to disasters of all kinds, including forest fires." The Wildfire Prevention Action Plan, whose completion is expected in the coming weeks, and the EU’s work on the disaster resilience goals were also referred to.
While in Lisbon, Commissioner Lenarčič highlighted that member states had been invited to express their interest in increasing their capacity under the EU's rescEU program – which foresees, among other measures, a permanent pre-positioned aerial fire-fighting fleet to be used in case of need at the European level.
Portugal is among the countries expressing their interest in being part of this reinforced capacity of firefighting aircraft. The Minister of Home Affairs of Portugal, José Luís Carneiro, informed that the country had “applied for European Union funds for additional aerial firefighting means which could integrate the rescEU transition fleet for the summer of 2023.” The Minister reinforced that Portugal remains available to receive one of the UCPM’s four pre-positioning centers of means, and that conversations with his Spanish counterpart had already taken place on the subject. According to José Luís Carneiro, the aerial and logistical center located in Castelo Branco is the one that “allows the best articulation with regard to the Iberian Peninsula’s interests”.
RescEU is an extra layer of citizen protection in Europe, integrated into the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and aiming at strengthening European preparedness for disasters. It boosts capacities to respond to crises in Europe, such as forest fires, medical emergencies, chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear incidents and ensures availability of mobile shelters, emergency transportation and, locally, electricity supplies. RescEU is 100% EU-financed, including costs for purchase, operation, and maintenance.