Brussels, May 31 (BNA) The European Union said on Tuesday that it is doubling its aerial firefighting fleet for the summer of 2023, citing challenges such as an increase in forest fires due to the climate crisis.
“The past few years have seen our greatest challenges yet,” said Crisis Management Commissioner Janiz Lenarcic, adding that in the past decade there has been an average of 350 percent increase in requests for assistance from its RescEU programme, Reuters reported.
“Disasters are happening with increasing frequency and intensity,” Lenarcic added, referring to the risk of wildfires in previously unprone areas and floods in Belgium, Germany and Italy.
For the upcoming bushfire season, the EU said, RescEU’s reserve of firefighting aircraft will include 24 aircraft and four helicopters from 10 member states.
In addition, 11 member states will send approximately 450 firefighters who will be stationed in France, Greece and Portugal.
Southern Europe is preparing for a summer of severe drought, with some regions already experiencing water shortages and farmers expecting their worst harvests in decades.
MI