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[INTERNATIONAL] · Belgium, Venezuela, Colombia, Ukraine · 6 sources

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Ursula von der Leyen praises EU civil protection response to wildfires

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen praised the effectiveness of the European Civil Protection Mechanism following a summer of intense wildfire activity. During a visit to the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) in Brussels, she noted that the wildfire season began exceptionally early in April, placing significant pressure on national reserves.

Since April, the mechanism has been activated 10 times to combat fires across eight different countries. Von der Leyen highlighted that 25 nations, including Ukraine for the first time, contributed national firefighting teams to assist other member states. She emphasized that the ERCC provides rapid assistance, including aircraft deployment and satellite mapping via the Copernicus system.

The ERCC's scope extends beyond European wildfires; it also coordinated the repatriation of Europeans during a Hantavirus outbreak on the Hondius cruise and managed the deployment of 750 specialists from 11 countries to assist after an earthquake in Venezuela.

Entities

Copernicus · Emergency Response Coordination Centre · European Civil Protection Mechanism · European Commission · Ursula von der Leyen

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