Time for a real European Civil Protection Force

25.10.2017 15:50

Time for a real European Civil Protection Force

“This year, the wave of fires in Portugal had tragic consequences. In the European Union, we suffer together with any other Member State which is a victim of the consequences of earthquakes, floods and many other disasters to which we are exposed. We must not waste any more time: it is time to create a real European Civil Protection Force that, within a few hours, can help national forces to combat these disasters and mitigate their consequences”, stated Paulo Rangel MEP, Vice-President of the EPP Group.

Francisco Millán Mon MEP, from the Spanish region of Galicia, said: "The recent fires in Spain, and particularly in the region of Galicia, were due to a criminal action that took advantage of the situation of extreme weather conditions: the winds provoked by Hurricane Ophelia, high temperatures and a prolonged drought for several months. It was not a problem of means, since the necessary measures had been taken for the prevention and extinction of fires, but the wave of numerous fires, together with the strong wind, made it impossible to extinguish all of them. I am grateful for the will expressed by the European Commission to study swiftly and flexibly the implementation of the European Solidarity Fund."

In the last four months, violent wildfires have taken more than 100 lives in Portugal and 4 in Spain.

The European Parliament will hold a debate this evening on how to step up the EU's emergency response after the tragic consequences of the wildfires in Portugal and Spain.

Note to editors

The EPP Group is the largest political group in the European Parliament with 216 Members from 27 Member States

Other related content