Southern Europe is ravaged by flames: France, Portugal, Spain, Greece and Croatia are affected by fires devastating thousands of hectares. Faced with this situation, European countries are helping by providing material reinforcements. Last week, Italy and Greece made four Canadairs available to France.
If the European Union experienced the second worst forest fire season on its territory in 2021, scientific forecasts are not more optimistic for this year. Fire risks are above average in central Europe and around the Mediterranean. Consequently, the European Commission had anticipated on June 15, announcing that it was positioning its firefighting fleet for the summer. A month later and as Europe faces « a very difficult situation aggravated by extreme temperatures”the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, welcomed the “strong solidarity shown by the Member States”.
Coordinated approach
In order to improve States’ response to natural disasters, the European Civil Protection Mechanism (MEPC) was created in 2001, at the instigation of the European Commission. It now includes all the countries of the European Union and six other countries (Iceland, Norway, Serbia, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Turkey). Its objective is to “strengthening cooperation in the field of civil protection with a view to improving disaster prevention, preparedness and response”, explains the European Commission.
Thus, when a State requests it, the MEPC is activated. The European Union’s Emergency Response Coordination Center then organizes and finances appropriate assistance using resources provided by the Member States. In 2019, an additional means of action, the rescEU program is created and brings a new European pool of resources. Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Sweden are responding by providing 12 planes and a water bomber helicopter, which feed the reserve. Beyond fires, the MEPC is also called upon during natural disasters such as floods or earthquakes. Since its creation, it has been activated more than 600 times.
All European countries concerned
“In the future, we will surely need more resources”, warns Michel Vennetier, retired researcher from the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE). Indeed, global warming leads to longer periods of drought. “There are already longer fire seasons each year, and the risk of fires in unusual areas is to be expected,” adds Michel Vennetier. All European countries could also be affected.
When it is already too late, technologies for monitoring fires, such as satellites, are used. “We can detect hot spots, and that allows us to follow the evolution of the most important fires”, explains Rémi Savazzi, national technical expert in forest fires for the National Forestry Office (ONF). On the ground, sending material and human reinforcements remains the only solution capable of fighting the flames.