Brussels: Cyprus' new firefighting hub in Paphos, which started operating last May, will be assessed for its needs and capacity at the end of the summer, European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib told CNA, following a briefing at the European Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) in Brussels on the state of this year's already difficult wildfire season.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Lahbib recalled that the ERCC operates around the clock under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, whose membership spans the Union's 27 member states, EU candidate countries, and Norway. The coordination centre simultaneously monitors natural disasters and humanitarian operations worldwide, from wildfires in Europe to medical evacuations of the wounded from Ukraine or children from Gaza. As Lahbib explained, the affected country submits a request for assistance, other states offer equipment or teams, the affected country accepts the offer, and the ERCC then coordinates and co-finances the operation, often covering up to 100% of costs.
"We don't wait for the fire to break out to activate the mechanism," the Commissioner went on, explaining that this year's prevention effort includes the pre-positioning of nearly 800 firefighters from 14 countries across six member states considered high-risk, namely Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
Asked by CNA specifically about Cyprus, Lahbib said the country has, through the European Civil Protection Pool, two aircraft and one ground forest-firefighting module. She confirmed that the aircraft are already stationed and operational at the new European firefighting hub that recently started operating in Paphos.
According to details made available, the hub hosts two firefighting aircraft and a ground forest-firefighting unit, a specialised, self-sufficient team deployed through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism that operates using vehicles, while Cyprus also hosts a pre-positioned team of firefighters provided through the Mechanism.
"The hub has just been inaugurated, last May. I think we need to see the needs and what will occur this summer, because it is mainly to respond to wildfires in the South Mediterranean, the whole area, [including] Syria, Jordan, because we had requests from these countries, and we will see," Lahbib said. On its operational capacity, she added that "we would need to make an assessment at the end of the summer for Cyprus."
Lahbib noted that Cyprus is not included in the collective new procurement of 24 Canadair DHC-515 aircraft, due to be delivered progressively through 2030. Asked whether Cyprus' capacity is expected to increase, she said that "Cyprus' capacity is not expected to increase, as they were not part of the tender." She clarified that the majority of the first new aircraft, to be delivered in 2028, will go to Greece, Spain, Portugal, and Croatia, while the 2029 deliveries will cover Portugal, Spain, Italy, and Croatia.
Asked by CNA whether the annual increase in pre-positioned firefighters risks is shifting responsibility for prevention away from member states themselves and onto the EU mechanism, the Commissioner said the Commission maintains a framework for exchanging best practices with all member states, built on last March's communication on wildfires. "The EU is here to add value when a member state is overwhelmed. They first have to activate the mechanism, if they don't, we don't intervene," she said, stressing that participation is voluntary and that, under the Treaty, the first responder is always the member state itself.
The Commissioner also addressed the human toll of June's heatwave, estimating more than 14,000 deaths across Europe, including roughly 2,000 in France, 1,740 in Belgium, 6,800 in Germany, and 2,200 in the United Kingdom. "It shows that these heatwaves cost lives, and our citizens are the first victims," she said.
Asked to comment on negotiations over the EU's next Multiannual Financial Framework and potential cuts, Lahbib declined to pre-empt the outcome of the ongoing talks, but underlined that the Commission's proposal for the new Civil Protection Mechanism stands at around £11 billion. "The cost of prevention is much lower than the cost of recovering from a disaster," she noted.