EU deploys assistance to combat wildfires in Greece and Albania

The European Commission has announced it is to mobilize emergency support to Greece and Albania, both of which have activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism in response to severe wildfires.

In a briefing in Brussels, spokesperson Balazs Ujvari said the Commission's Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) has immediately mobilized both aerial and ground firefighting resources from several European countries that are part of the Civil Protection Mechanism to assist Greece.

This support includes two rescEU firefighting planes from Italy, a rescEU helicopter from France and a helicopter offered by Serbia.

He said that in addition ground firefighting teams are being deployed from the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Serbia and Romania, pointing out that Romanian, Maltese and Moldovan firefighters, already positioned in Greece, were among the first responders...