EU solidarity is in "in full flight" as wildfires continue to burn across several countries, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Monday.
Over the weekend, Belgium and Spain asked for the activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The system allows countries to request extra personnel and equipment from other member states, partner countries or the EU’s own reserve, rescEU.
The EU is also providing support through satellite images supplied by its Copernicus Emergency Management Service. Detailed maps help authorities identify the affected areas and track how the fires are developing.
Wildfires are still raging in 🇪🇸 🇧🇪 🇩🇪 🇮🇹 🇬🇷 🇵🇹 🇭🇷 🇲🇪 🇦🇱 🇷🇸.
And Europe’s solidarity is in full flight. French teams are deployed to Spain. Sweden and the Netherlands are fighting the blaze in Belgium. Norway and Germany are sending helicopters there. We keep a close eye on… pic.twitter.com/GagChx1yEc — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) August 17, 2026
The service is currently active for fires in Belgium and Spain, as well as in Greece, Germany, Montenegro, Albania, France, Serbia and Italy.
European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib, who is responsible for crisis management, said the support mechanism had made it possible to deploy planes, helicopters and firefighters quickly where they were needed most.
This year’s wildfire season has been exceptionally severe, according to the European Commission. By the end of June, the area burned in Europe was already two and a half times higher than normal.
