European Commissioner Christos Stylianides aims to strengthen the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism, which is activated at the request of member states to assist in tackling wild fires or other natural disasters. This summer, five countries have activated the Mechanism, requesting assistance from other participating states to put out forest fires in their territories, with Portugal receiving most of the Mechanism’s solidarity so far.
During this summer season, the Mechanism has been activated in Europe twice by Portugal and Italy, as well as by France, Montenegro and Albania, Carlos Martin Ruiz de Gordejuela, a European Commission Spokesperson, told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA).
In all these cases, the Commission reacted immediately and was able to swiftly mobilize support from other participating states in the form of firefighting aircraft, such as Canadair planes, air-tractors or helicopters, firefighters and other equipment, Ruiz de Gordejuela added.
He also referred to the European Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), the crisis response center of the Commission working around the clock to monitor disasters and other crises all over the world. Stylianides, the European Commissioner from Cyprus who is responsible for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management is, according to the Spokesperson “committed to continue enhancing its capacities”.
Ruiz de Gordejuela said that the Commissioner is in regular contact with the responsible Ministers from the member states. “His message is clear and simple: together, we are stronger. We are better able to respond to disasters” he added.
According to the Commission Spokesperson, so far the largest request for firefighting aircraft through the Mechanism came from Portugal, after the country faced deadly fires in June that killed over 60 people. In this case, the Mechanism was able to mobilize 7 firefighting aircraft from three countries, while Spain also dispatched 135 firefighters with 29 vehicles.
In the last weeks, France and Italy, two large European countries with a strong air fleet, have also requested EU support through the Mechanism. Ruiz de Gordejuela said that this shows the value of having a pan-European response to emergencies, as “even the biggest countries may require additional EU support”.
“Overall the EU Civil Protection Mechanism is a concrete example of EU solidarity in action. That is why one of Commissioner Stylianides` priorities is to strengthen it” the Spokesperson for the European Commission added.
Furthermore, he mentioned the wild fires that burned last summer in the Solea region, in Cyprus. In this case, the European Commission coordinated support from Greece, France and Italy, who sent firefighting planes and helicopters to put out the flames. “Commissioner Stylianides naturally took a strong personal interest in ensuring that adequate support was mobilized” said Ruiz de Gordejuela.
Τhe EU Civil Protection Mechanism was established in 2001, fostering cooperation among national civil protection authorities across Europe. It currently includes all 28 EU member states in addition to Iceland, Montenegro, Norway, Serbia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Turkey.
According to the latest Eurobarometer in March 2017, 90% of respondents said they supported EU coordination in order to tackle disasters in any of the member states.
“Voluntary pool” by 20 states ready to operate in Europe and worldwide
The ERCC manages a “voluntary pool” of assistance capacities, which are pre-committed by participating states and remain available for immediate deployment. “This is something Commissioner Stylianides has strengthened since taking up his role” Ruiz de Gordejuela noted.
He added that since the establishment of the voluntary pool in October 2014, 20 participating states have brought together over 82 civil protection capacities, including forest fires fighting forces. These will eventually become available for EU operations worldwide, following a request for assistance through the European Commission`s ERCC.
Countries participating in the voluntary pool can benefit from EU financial support to upgrade their national response capacities for international deployments. They also participate in certification and training activities and are able to cover up to 85% of their costs, related to the transport of teams and assets to a disaster area.
The Commission Spokesperson told CNA that member states are conscious that coordination is in everyone`s interest. “Our cooperation has been excellent over the years” and member states “recognize the added value of the European Civil Protection Mechanism” he concluded.
CNA