The European Commissioner for Crisis Management and Equality, Hadja Lahbib, visited Gironde to meet with French authorities, front-line teams and residents affected by the wildfires. This visit made it possible to see first-hand the concrete action of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism and to reaffirm European solidarity in the face of natural disasters.
Following the activation of the Mechanism by France, the European Union coordinated the deployment of 8 water-bomber aircraft from Croatia, Luxembourg, Portugal, Sweden and Turkey, as well as 4 helicopters from the Czech Republic, Germany and Slovakia.
During the day, the Commissioner met firefighters, gendarmes, pilots, mechanics and coordination teams mobilised at the Bordeaux-Mérignac air base, where European resources are pre-positioned to intervene quickly when needed. She also visited the shelter in Le Haillan to speak with evacuated residents and assess the impact of these wildfires.
Since June, nearly 800 firefighters from 14 European countries have been pre-positioned in high-risk areas across Europe, to ensure a rapid response when a Member State requests assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
As Commissioner Lahbib emphasised: “Climate change is no longer knocking at Europe's door: it is already here. The only possible response is more unity, more solidarity. More Europe.