Forest fires: EU sends assistance to combat fires at the Czech-German border
The European Union has swiftly mobilised two firefighting airplanes and two helicopters to Czechia where a large forest fire is burning in the north of the country. Following yesterday's request for assistance, Poland and Slovakia are each operating one helicopter in the country. The EU is mobilising 2 firefighting planes from its rescEU fleet that are stationed in Italy. They will be operating in Czechia as of today.
On this occasion, European Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič2 said: "We are facing very intense wildfires this summer - active across the Mediterranean and in the very centre of our continent. To combat fires ravaging in a national park in Czechia's north bordering Germany, our Union stands in full solidarity to face the destructive fires. Assistance from Poland and Slovakia has already arrived, and so have the EU's two firefighting planes from Italy that form part of the rescEU fleet. I thank everyone involved in ensuring such swift mobilisation of support.”
The EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre stands in close contact with both Czech and German authorities to support the coordination of firefighting operations in the area, and has deployed a Liaison Officer to Prague to support with incoming EU assistance. In addition, the EU's Copernicus satellite has been activated by Germany to collect data vital to first responders on the areas burned.
Background
The EU ensures a coordinated approach to preventing, preparing and responding to forest fires. When the scale of a forest fire overwhelms the response capabilities of a country, it can request assistance via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Once activated, the EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre coordinates and finances assistance made available by EU Member States and six additional Participating States. Should the emergency require further assistance, the Commission activates its rescEU firefighting fleet to confront disasters in Europe. The EU's Copernicus emergency satellite mapping service complements operations with detailed information from space.
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Emergency Response Coordination Centre
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- 1.The European Commission is the executive body of the EU and runs its day-to-day business. It is made up of the College of Commissioners, 27 European Commissioners, one for each member state, who are each responsible for one or several policy areas. In addition, the 'Commission' also refers to the entire administrative body that supports the Commissioners, consisting of the Directorates-General and the Services.
- 2.Janez Lenarčič (1967) is the Commissioner on behalf of Slovenia since December 1st 2019. In the Von der Leyen Commission he is responsible for crisis management. Previously he served as high level civil servant and diplomat, and served as junior minister for European affairs.