The European Union is planning to acquire contracts for up to 12 firefighting planes this year, marking the first time it would fully own such aircraft. The move comes as the bloc aims to enhance its firefighting capabilities to combat blazes exacerbated by the effects of climate change, according to the EU’s head of crisis management.
To bolster its existing firefighting fleet, the EU doubled its reserve capacity of firefighting aircraft in response to last summer’s devastating fires in southern Europe. The previous 13-plane capacity was depleted, prompting the current fleet of 28 aircraft, which the EU leases from member countries or the market to form a bloc-wide buffer during wildfire seasons. The doubling of the fleet’s size is estimated to cost around 23 million euros, as reported by the Commission.
EU Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarcic, revealed that Brussels aims to sign contracts this year for the purchase of 12 EU-owned firefighting planes. Additionally, the EU intends to secure another 12 planes to bolster individual member states’ national fleets.
Should the EU proceed with orders, manufacturer De Havilland Canada has committed to re-launch production of the “Canadair” aircraft.
Contracts for the new planes will be signed by six member states: Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, and Spain. The EU will finance the purchase of the 12 planes for its own fleet, while member states will fund their respective acquisitions.
As Europe faces another summer of extreme weather events, wildfires in Greece have already resulted in three fatalities and thousands of tourists evacuating. Italian firefighters reported battling nearly 1,400 fires between Sunday and Tuesday.
According to Lenarcic, the situation in southern Europe underscores the climate crisis’s urgency, emphasizing that it is already affecting the region.
EU countries remain responsible for responding to wildfires and seek support from the EU reserve when necessary. The bloc can also offer emergency assistance to non-EU countries. In 2022, the EU received 11 such requests, and there have been four this year so far, including assistance in Greece and Tunisia, where EU reserve planes are currently engaged in battling blazes.
Lenarcic warned that climate change impacts are incurring substantial costs of at least tens of billions of euros annually in Europe. These expenses are likely to escalate further if countries do not urgently take measures to reduce fossil fuel consumption and the resultant CO2 emissions driving global warming.
