emirates7 - With wildfire risks rising across Europe, the European Commission is helping finance and coordinate the deployment of a record number of firefighters, aircraft and emergency experts under the Civil Protection Mechanism.

The EU said that 777 firefighters from 14 European countries will be strategically pre-positioned in high-risk areas across Cyprus, Greece, Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal. This is the highest level of participation since the pre-positioning programme's launch in 2022. In parallel, 22 firefighting airplanes and five helicopters from the EU fleet are ready to support countries under pressure.

As wildfire seasons become longer, earlier and more destructive, the commission is making sure additional firefighters, aircraft and expertise are ready to back up national services when and where the risk is highest.

Throughout the wildfire season, experts at the EU's 24/7 Emergency Response Coordination Centre will track risks and support deployments using meteorological and scientific analysis. The centre will reinforce its monitoring with additional wildfire experts from Member States and participating countries, together with specialists from the commission's partnerships with scientific institutions.

In addition, the EU will also launch in 2026 a new European regional firefighting station in Cyprus to strengthen wildfire preparedness and response capacities across Europe and the South Mediterranean region.