More aid for Sweden
Numerous forest fires are raging in Sweden, and the country has long been unable to cope with them on its own. The EU is stepping up its aid.
The European Union has increased its civil protection response to the devastating forest fires in Sweden. So far, 7 firefighting planes, 7 helicopters, 60 vehicles and more than 340 firefighters have been offered by Italy, France, Germany, Lithuania, Denmark, Portugal, Poland and Austria.
No country immune to natural disasters
"We have been working around the clock to help Sweden. This is our duty in a Europe that protects and is close to its citizens," said Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides. "A record amount of EU support was mobilized last week and over the weekend. The fires in Sweden show that climate change is real and no country is immune to natural disasters. This is why the Commission has proposed to strengthen the EU's civil protection response through rescEU strengthen so that member states are better equipped to respond to multiple disasters." rescEU is a newer European natural disaster management system. Sweden had requested assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism on July 16.
The EU has already been providing support to the Swedish authorities since the beginning of last week with firefighting aircraft from Italy and France, helicopters from Germany and Lithuania, and firefighters and vehicles from Poland and Denmark. The EU Civil Protection Mechanism facilitates cooperation among a total of 34 European countries (28 EU member states, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Iceland, Norway, Montenegro, Serbia and Turkey) in disaster response. The EU Commission coordinates voluntary offers by participating states under the Civil Protection Mechanism.
Source: EU Commission
