Key facts
- The EU has initiated its largest-ever cross-border firefighting operation.
- The EU Civil Protection Mechanism was activated due to widespread wildfires.
- Resources including planes, helicopters, personnel, and vehicles have been deployed to France and Spain.
- The EU maintains a reserve fleet of firefighting aircraft (rescEU) and pre-positioned firefighters.
- Satellite services provide real-time mapping and future danger level forecasts.
- The EU's strategy emphasizes prevention and land management in addition to direct firefighting.
As wildfires intensify across Europe this summer, the European Union has initiated its most extensive cross-border firefighting operation to date. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated, leading to the deployment of significant resources, including aircraft, personnel, and vehicles, to affected countries like France and Spain.
The EU's response operates through a structured system, with the Emergency Response Coordination Centre in Brussels working around the clock to match member states' requests with available resources. This is supplemented by rescEU, the bloc's own reserve of firefighting aircraft, which is deployed when national capacities are overwhelmed. For the current year, the EU has pre-positioned 777 firefighters from 14 nations and maintained 22 planes and five helicopters on standby, bolstered by a new firefighting hub in Cyprus. Furthermore, the EU is investing approximately €600 million in 12 permanent rescEU aircraft.
Technological support includes the Copernicus satellite service, which provides real-time mapping of fire zones, and EFFIS, which offers danger level forecasts up to 10 days in advance. However, EU officials acknowledge the limitations of aerial resources in extreme heat, stating that aircraft can contain but not extinguish fires that span kilometers. Consequently, the Commission's strategy, outlined in March 2026, emphasizes prevention, improved land management, the creation of firebreaks, and early warning systems as crucial complements to direct firefighting efforts.