EU Civil Protection mechanism activated 16 times in 2025 amid widespread wildfires

As Europe battles a severe heatwave and a surge in catastrophic wildfires, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism has already been activated 16 times this year — equaling the total for all of 2024.

The Mechanism is a large-scale EU coordination system that provides assistance to member states and partner countries facing natural disasters such as wildfires.

A European Commission spokeswoman confirmed that just last week, Greece, Spain, Bulgaria, Montenegro, and Albania all activated the Mechanism to help fight multiple simultaneous fires.

For the first time in its history, Spain activated the system on Tuesday, prompting the European Commission to mobilize two firefighting planes from France.

Greece triggered the Mechanism on 12 August, with two Swedish rescEU helicopters deployed from Bulgaria and pre-positioned firefighters from Czechia, Moldova, and Romania joining the battle against the flames.

In Bulgaria, six countries — Czechia, Slovakia, France, Hungary, Romania, and Sweden — contributed aircraft, including rescEU helicopters.

In Albania, aerial firefighting assets were dispatched from Croatia, Bulgaria, Italy, Czechia, and Slovakia.

In Montenegro, rescEU aircraft from Czechia, Croatia, and Italy were mobilized, while Serbia, Hungary, and Bosnia and Herzegovina provided planes through bilateral support, and Austria sent ground teams.

The EU’s coordinated firefighting response underscores the scale of the crisis, as soaring temperatures and strong winds fuel devastating wildfires across the continent.