European firefighting assets deployed to combat wildfires

The European Commission has announced the mobilization of a number of firefighting aircraft to respond to wildfires in the south of the continent, under the European Union’s (EU) Civil Protection Mechanism.

The Commission stated on 14 August that, in the past week, “Greece, Spain, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Albania, activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism [rescEU] to help deal with forest fires”.

It confirmed that the mechanism has already been activated a total of 16 times during this year’s fire season, due to heatwaves throughout the summer. Despite only being mid-August, the number of activations in 2025 is already equal to the number for the whole of the 2024 wildfire season.

RescEU deployments across Europe

The Commission noted that Spain activated the mechanism for the first time last week, and that, in response, two rescEU planes previously stationed in France would be deployed.

The Netherlands were also reportedly sending two Chinook helicopters and 60 military personnel to help fight the Spanish wildfires, which have already burned over 150,000 hectares of land this year – twice the country’s annual average.

Greece activated the mechanism on 12 August, and was offered two Swedish rescEU planes previously stationed in Bulgaria. Firefighting personnel from Czechia, Moldova, and Romania are also taking part in firefighting efforts.

Six countries have mobilized aerial assets to assist in Bulgaria: Czechia, Slovakia, France, Hungary, Romania, and Sweden.

Likewise, Albania has received rescEU aerial assets from Croatia, Bulgaria, Italy, Czechia, and Slovakia.

Finally, Montenegro has received rescEU assets from Czechia, Croatia, and Italy. Additionally, Serbia, Hungary, and Bosnia and Herzegovina have deployed aircraft as part of bilateral agreements with the Montenegrin government.

Cyprus and Greece also requested wildfire assistance last month.