Commissioner Lahbib travels to Greece for talks on wildfire control, readiness, and reaction strategies

Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, is currently in Athens, Greece, where she will be meeting with key officials to discuss the ongoing efforts to combat wildfires in Europe.

Tomorrow, Commissioner Lahbib will meet with the Prime Minister of the Hellenic Republic, Mr Kyriakos Mitsotakis, as well as the Minister for Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Ioannis Kefalogiannis. The Commissioner will also be meeting with the Chair of the Committee on European affairs of the Hellenic Parliament, Giannis Plakiotakis.

The importance of continued collaboration to be better prepared and equipped for emergency responses, including wildfires, is a topic that Commissioner Lahbib emphasizes during her visit. Greece, as she states, is taking the challenge of wildfire preparedness and response very seriously.

Commissioner Lahbib will visit Greece's Coordination Centre for Operations and Crisis Management and a Greek national airbase hosting two airplanes from the EU's joint firefighting fleet, rescEU. She will also participate in a ceremony to mark the handover of approximately 100 firefighting vehicles to Greece, with the EU funding part of this handover.

Since the beginning of the wildfire season, Greece has provided firefighting assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to Albania and North Macedonia. These efforts are part of the ongoing joint efforts required to be prepared and equipped for responses during the wildfire season in Europe, as Commissioner Lahbib states.

Commissioner Lahbib expresses optimism about the continued cooperation between the EU and Greece in the future. She acknowledges the increasing length, intensity, and unpredictability of wildfire seasons in Europe and emphasizes the need for ongoing efforts to address this challenge.

The meetings and discussions on EU-wide wildfire protection, preparedness, emergency measures, and the future concept of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in Athens, Greece, on this and the following day were conducted by EU officials and experts involved in civil protection and wildfire management.

During her visit, Commissioner Lahbib will also meet Czech firefighters pre-positioned in Greece this summer. These Czech firefighters are part of the teams deployed within the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

The EU's civil protection collaboration with Greece, as mentioned by Commissioner Lahbib, remains strong. Greece has been active in responding to requests for firefighting assistance sent through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, with both instances of assistance involving the use of rescEU airplanes hosted in Greece.

In summary, Commissioner Hadja Lahbib's visit to Greece aims to strengthen EU-wide efforts to combat wildfires and improve preparedness and response capabilities. The meetings and discussions in Athens are a testament to the ongoing cooperation between the EU and Greece in addressing this critical issue.

Commissioner Lahbib travels to Greece for talks on wildfire control, readiness, and reaction strategies