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The EU helps Bulgaria in managing the fires

by AI | 30.Jul 2024 | Europe in brief AI

Aircraft from France, Spain, and the Czech Republic joined the fight against the fire

Village of Mikrevo (July 30, 2024) A large fire is burning near the village of Mikrevo, Strumyani municipality. The fire has engulfed a forest area and is near the road. The two planes sent from France under the EU Civil Protection Mechanism have also joined in controlling the blaze. Photo: Krasimir Velkov, BTA

SOFIA – Bulgaria received assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to deal with fires in the country.

France sent one reconnaissance and two firefighting aircraft to control a large forest fire on the Bulgarian-Greek border. The fire is burning along the border strip in the Sveti Ilia area between the villages of Petrovo and Goleshovo, towards Gotsev peak in the Slavyanka mountain. Since July 29, the French aircraft have been working on the ground.

The acting Minister of Internal Affairs Kalin Stoyanov announced on July 28 that the EU Civil Protection Mechanism had been activated.

The fire entered part of the Bulgarian territory, and the areas in question have information about mine fields. It is being extinguished only with aerial equipment. Greece is working with both planes and helicopters, while Bulgaria is using military helicopters. We requested assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, said the Minister of Internal Affairs Kalin Stoyanov.

Since 2000, there have been no anti-personnel mines on the Bulgarian side of the border with Greece. They were placed during the Cold War and removed by the end of 1999 by Border Police officers, as reported by the General Directorate “Border Police” to BTA.

The President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen thanked France and Greece for the assistance provided to Bulgaria in combating the fires.

Thank you very much for the support through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. This is how European solidarity works. This summer, 556 firefighters from 12 EU countries with 28 planes and four helicopters are standing by to extinguish the fires, wrote the President of the EC on the social network “X”.

Since mid-July, Bulgaria has been battling forest fires in various places across the country. Again, through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, planes from Spain and the Czech Republic joined in controlling peak fires.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs thanked France and Spain for their crucial contribution in fighting the fires.

My deep gratitude to King Felipe VI for Spain’s timely contribution in fighting the severe fires in Bulgaria and the demonstrated professionalism of the aircraft crews, wrote President Rumen Radev on “X”.

In the last 24 hours, firefighting services in Bulgaria have extinguished 151 fires.

The EU Civil Protection Mechanism coordinates responses to natural and man-made disasters at the EU level. Any country in the world can request assistance through the Mechanism when an emergency exceeds its response capacity.

In addition to the 27 EU member states, some non-EU countries also participate in the mechanism: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iceland, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Turkey, and Ukraine.

In September 2023, the Council approved Moldova’s participation in the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Earlier in April, Ukraine also joined the mechanism as a participating country.

Since 2001, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated more than 700 times within and outside the EU. (29 – 30.07)