The EU has swiftly mobilised support to Albania in fighting forest fires on the island of Sazan, Vlora municipality. Via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, the Commission has coordinated the deployment of a firefighting airplane from Greece to assist 250 Albanian ground forces in limiting the spread of the fires. Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič said: "Throughout this year's forest fire season, the EU stands ready to coordinate and finance European firefighting operations to help saves lives, livelihoods and preserve our forests. I thank Greece for swiftly deploying their firefighting airplane to the Sazan island off the Albanian coast. The EU stands ready to provide further assistance to the country if requested.”
In addition, Greece also activated the EU's Copernicus satellite service over the weekend to monitor fires in southern Athens for damage assessment of infrastructure, houses and buildings.
The European Union's 24/7 Emergency Response Coordination Centre stands in constant contact with the Albanian and Greek civil protection authorities to closely monitor the situation and EU-led assistance
Details
- Publication date
- 7 June 2022
- Author
- Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations