EU Countries Send 500 Firefighters To Support Greece
Fellow European Union countries are supporting Greece with about 500 firefighters and seven planes deployed to different areas in the country, the European Commission said on Wednesday.
“Together, we are deploying available resources to fight the fires and protect our citizens and landscapes,” EU Crisis Commissioner Janez Lenarčič said in a statement.
According to data from the EU’s earth observation programme, Copernicus, more land in Greece has burned this year alone than the long-term annual average, although the hot and dry summer season is far from over.
Two firefighting aircraft have also been deployed to northwest Tunisia.
Countries worldwide can request help from EU members in case of a disaster, with the European Commission coordinating the deployment of civil protection equipment and experts.
In response to devastating fires in recent years, the EU has improved its preparedness to tackle large fires, including prepositioning more firefighters in high-risk areas.
