Brussels, June 2, 2026 (Lusa) - The European Union will deploy two light aircraft to Portugal from Tuesday and 60 firefighters from 16 July to 31 August through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, to assist in fighting wildfires.
These resources were announced on Tuesday during the presentation in Brussels of the resources to be mobilised this summer under the European Civil Protection Mechanism.
At a press conference, the European Commissioner for Crisis Preparedness and Management, Hadja Lahbib, said that this is the EU’s “most ambitious and best-coordinated ever” fire-fighting deployment.
“It is based on a simple principle: when a disaster strikes, we are stronger when we act together,” she said.
In total, 777 firefighters will be pre-positioned in six countries considered “high-risk” – Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece and Cyprus – a higher figure than the nearly 650 who were mobilised last year.
In the specific case of Portugal, 60 firefighters will be deployed: a contingent of 20 from Latvia will be in the country between 16 and 31 July, followed by another contingent of 40 from Malta, deployed between 1 and 31 August.
The aim of these foreign firefighting teams is “to stand ready to assist national firefighters if the scale of a fire exceeds a country’s response capacity”, states the EU executive.
Last year, Portugal hosted a contingent of 20 firefighters from Latvia, who were pre-positioned in Trancoso from 1 to 15 August, followed by two teams of 20 firefighters from Malta, stationed in Almeirim from 16 August to 15 September.
In addition to these firefighter contingents, the EU will also deploy two light aircraft to Portugal from today, as was the case last year, bringing the total to 22 aircraft and five helicopters that will be mobilised across the continent under the European Civil Protection Mechanism.
In addition to mobilising resources, the European Commissioner for Crisis Preparedness and Management noted that, between mid-June and mid-September, several fire experts will gather at the Emergency Response Coordination Centre in Brussels to “anticipate risks, develop monitoring resources and strengthen cooperation”.
“The aim is to be able to respond as quickly as possible,” she stressed.
In Portugal, this Monday, the rural firefighting operation was reinforced once again, for the second time this year, with 13,335 personnel and 78 aircraft.
Until 30 June, 13,335 personnel will be available, comprising 2,265 teams from the various agencies on the ground, 2,969 vehicles and 78 aircraft, in addition to three helicopters from AFOCELCA (a private forest protection company specialising in fighting rural fires).
Firefighting resources will be reinforced again from 1 July until 30 September, during what is considered the most critical phase of the fire season, when the largest deployment is mobilised.
This year, a total of 15,149 operational staff from 2,596 teams and 3,463 vehicles, a slight increase from 2025, will be available, alongside 81 aircraft.
Provisional data from the Integrated Rural Fire Management System (SGIFR) show that this year there were 2,780 fires, resulting in 10,387 hectares burnt, with the majority of fires and burnt area occurring in the North region: 1,616 and 9,079 hectares, respectively.
TA/ADB // ADB.
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