The European Union is struggling to respond to large-scale wildfires that have already affected around 122,000 hectares of territory in France and Spain this year, Euractiv reports.
According to the outlet, the EU's emergency response mechanism has become overstretched and insufficient to tackle the major fires continuing in both countries.
Euractiv noted that the affected areas have reached record levels, with around 80,000 hectares burned in France and 42,000 hectares in Spain. Nearly 300,000 people have been evacuated due to the disaster.
“Right now, hundreds of thousands of people have been forced to flee their homes, while firefighters battle walls of flame in dramatic conditions to save lives and communities,” Hadja Lahbib, the EU’s crisis response commissioner, said. “No country should ever have to face a disaster of this scale alone.”
Earlier, the European Commission said that, under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, 13 aircraft, four helicopters, and hundreds of firefighters from various EU countries had been deployed to help combat the fires.
If national resources prove insufficient, the EU can rely on its own strategic reserve, which includes a fleet of 22 aircraft and five helicopters, according to the report.
By Jeyhun Aghazada
