The European Commission said Europe’s firefighting capacity is struggling to keep pace with increasingly intense wildfires in Spain and France, as blazes continue to overwhelm local resources.
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“These fires are out of capacity,” a Commission official told reporters on Monday, referring to the devastating blazes that have already consumed more than 80,000 hectares in Spain and over 42,000 hectares in France. Both fires remain uncontrolled and have forced more than 320,000 people to leave their homes.
As wildfires continue to rage across Spain and France despite one of the EU’s largest-ever emergency responses, Commission officials conceded that the EU is facing staggering blazes that are spreading faster than firefighting efforts can contain. The crisis is also highlighting the growing strain on the EU’s civil protection system and its ability to respond to large-scale disasters.
European Commission for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, recently acknowledged in the French newspaper Le Monde that the bloc’s civil protection mechanism is “under pressure” but insisted that “it is working”.
Nevertheless, Brussels is moving to expand its firefighting fleet for future emergencies and enhance cross-border disaster response capabilities. EU officials acknowledged on Monday that climate change is lengthening wildfire seasons and driving increasingly severe fires that differ significantly from those witnessed just a few years ago.
In a recent wildfire in Spain, flames spread at an estimated speed of around six kilometres per hour, far outpacing firefighters on the ground, who were able to advance and contain the blaze at only about 300 metres per hour.
The Commission official argued that responding to the fires was not the only answer, as Europe must invest far more heavily in preventing catastrophic fires rather than relying on increasingly costly emergency interventions.
His remarks acknowledge that Europe’s civil protection model — which relies on member states sharing aircraft, equipment, and personnel during emergencies — is facing increasing pressure as multiple countries are forced to battle major wildfires at the same time.
Planes and helicopters deployed
The Commission has mobilised seven aircraft and four helicopters to France, six aircraft and three ground firefighting teams to Spain, while also supporting Tunisia through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, its main emergency response tool.
Five firefighter planes from Canada were deployed across both countries.
More than 770 firefighters from 14 countries have been pre-positioned across southern Europe for the summer.
“Two helicopters should be deployed shortly from Germany to Spain. Another two additional planes are also expected from Turkey,” the Commission said.
However, officials stressed that Brussels could not simply mobilise its entire firefighting fleet, explaining that the aircraft remain owned or operated by member states, many of which are simultaneously dealing with severe domestic wildfires. They also noted that operational constraints mean that not every aircraft is suitable for every type of fire or terrain.
While the EU searches for additional firefighting aircraft and helicopters, more than 100,000 hectares of land are ablaze and thousands of families are being forced to evacuate. At the same time, several Russian firefighting helicopters remain grounded in Spain as a result of EU sanctions introduced in March 2022.
The Commission had not responded to a Euronews request by the time of publication on whether it would consider a temporary exemption to allow the use of this equipment, given the scale and severity of the ongoing fires.
EU’s civil protection mechanism being tested
The bloc’s primary emergency response mechanism is facing growing pressure as simultaneous climate-related disasters strike across Europe, with officials warning that the strain on the system is likely to increase in the years ahead.
The Commission said this year’s wildfire season began exceptionally early, with the first activation of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism coming at the end of April. Officials warned the season could now last until October or even November.
“We started the fire season before last year,” the Commission official added. “At the end of May the problem was fires reaching hundreds of hectares. By June they were reaching thousands. Right now, we are counting fires in tens of thousands of hectares.”
The Commission is attempting to bolster its long-term capacity by purchasing a permanent European fleet of 12 Canadair aircraft and five helicopters. But deliveries will not be completed until 2030, leaving the bloc dependent on nationally based aircraft for several more summers.
Brussels has also strengthened its Emergency Response Coordination Centre by adding wildfire behaviour analysts capable of modelling how fires are likely to evolve, allowing authorities to position resources before conditions deteriorate.
But officials repeatedly argued that technology and additional aircraft alone cannot solve the problem.
“What we are advocating is an integrated management approach,” said a second Commission official, pointing to the need for better forest management, including reducing combustible vegetation in forests and landscapes.
The EU officials also highlighted how climate adaptation is becoming inseparable from civil protection policy. Following successive heatwaves that dried vegetation across southern Europe, Commission officials said fire conditions are now consistently exceeding historical norms and warned that extreme fire danger is forecast to spread towards Greece.
While the Commission stopped short of predicting whether 2026 would eclipse last year’s record wildfire season, officials acknowledged that activity is already running above previous trends.