The European Union has mobilised additional firefighting support for Belgium and Spain as severe wildfires continue to overwhelm local emergency services.<\/p>\n
The deployments, made through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism<\/a> (UCPM), include aircraft, helicopters, ground crews and satellite mapping to support authorities tackling fires across several regions.<\/p>\n In Belgium, two rescEU<\/a> firefighting aircraft have been sent from Sweden, while helicopters from the Netherlands, Norway, and Germany are assisting crews battling fires in the Hautes Fagnes.<\/p>\n More than 3,000 hectares have already burned. In Spain, 104 French firefighters and 36 vehicles have been deployed to Arag\u00f3n, where almost 16,000 hectares have been affected.<\/p>\n The scale of the wildfire response reflects an exceptionally severe 2026 wildfire season<\/a>. By the end of July, the area burned across Europe was already around 2.5 times the usual level<\/a>, according to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS).<\/p>\n The EU is consequently relying on cross-border cooperation to reinforce national services when fires exceed the resources available locally.<\/p>\n Hadja\u00a0Lahbib, Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, explained: \u201cNo country should face wildfires alone.<\/p>\n \u201cThrough our civil protection mechanism, Europe is moving aircraft, helicopters and firefighters quickly to where they are needed most. This weekend in Belgium and Spain, European solidarity was on the ground again.\u201d<\/p>\n A coordinated European wildfire response<\/p>\n The UCPM allows countries facing major disasters to request assistance from a wider pool of European emergency resources.<\/p>\n Once a request is made, participating countries can offer aircraft, helicopters, firefighters, vehicles and specialist equipment, with the European Commission coordinating and co-financing deployments.<\/p>\n The system is backed by rescEU, the EU\u2019s strategic reserve of emergency capacity. For the 2026 season, 22 firefighting aircraft and five helicopters have been placed on standby, alongside hundreds of pre-positioned firefighters and specialist teams.<\/p>\n Satellite technology is also becoming an increasingly important part of wildfire response. The EU\u2019s Copernicus Emergency Management Service<\/a> is producing rapid mapping for fires in Belgium, Spain, Greece, Germany, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, France, and Italy.<\/p>\n These maps give authorities a faster picture of fire perimeters and affected areas, supporting decisions on evacuation, resource allocation and emergency operations.<\/p>\n Europe\u2019s changing wildfire landscape<\/p>\n Wildfires are no longer confined to Europe\u2019s traditional fire-prone Mediterranean belt.<\/p>\n The European Environment Agency (EEA) reports that fires are increasingly affecting central and northern Europe, with recent droughts and heatwaves contributing to outbreaks in areas that have historically faced lower fire risk.<\/p>\n