EU wildfire aid stretched thin as fires rage across continent

Europe's coordinated response to devastating wildfires is straining under the pressure of simultaneous, large-scale blazes across the continent. France, experiencing what its president described as the "gravest situation since World War II," is currently deploying seven Canadair water-bombing aircraft from the EU's emergency aid network.

Beyond its own resources, France is receiving crucial support from other European nations, including Croatia, Portugal, Sweden, and Turkey, which contribute aircraft and firefighting personnel. Additionally, rescue helicopters from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, along with a team of 40 Romanian firefighters and vehicles, have been dispatched. This cross-border cooperation is managed under the RescEU program, which involves 22 member states and even non-EU participants.

However, the sheer intensity and simultaneous nature of this year's fire season, which threatens to surpass the record-breaking 1 million hectares burned in the EU in 2025, are pushing the system to its breaking point. Eurocommissar for Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib noted that all 22 firefighting planes and 5 helicopters within the RescEU program are currently deployed across Europe, requiring constant reallocation of resources. "The system is under pressure, but it functions," Lahbib stated, while admitting the difficulty in prioritizing where aid is most needed when "everything is burning at the same time."

In response to the escalating crisis, the European Commission is prioritizing prevention, with the motto "the best fire is the one that doesn't start." It is also moving to establish its own dedicated fleet of firefighting aircraft, having ordered 12 Canadair planes set for delivery from early 2028. Despite these efforts, officials acknowledge the growing challenge posed by increasingly severe fire seasons across the continent.