Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

EU crisis chief calls for more powers to fight climate impacts

EU crisis chief calls for more powers to fight climate impacts

The European Union should consider expanding Brussels’ powers to deal with increasingly frequent climate disasters, the bloc’s head of crisis management told POLITICO.

Brussels plays an expanding but still limited role in disaster response, with the EU’s legal framework restricting the European Commission to coordinating backup assistance when governments request help.

Such requests are expected to increase as devastating floods and fires become more common with every tenth of a degree of global warming — and Janez Lenarčič, the EU’s commissioner for crisis management, says that any future treaty changes must address that growing need.

“When and if there is a decision to go for treaty change, I’m sure this should be part of the discussions — how to strengthen the disaster response capacity, including the decision-making capacity on the European level, which we now don’t have,” he said in an interview at the Commission’s Berlaymont headquarters.

That could open the door to the creation of a permanent EU civil protection force, which was floated as far back as 2006 by then-Commissioner Michel Barnier, Lenarčič added.

“If you take firefighting planes, if Barnier’s idea could be implemented, this would mean European-owned planes, EU-employed crews and pilots … but with this treaty, this is not possible,” he said, as civil protection is currently under the sole jurisdiction of national governments.


Expanding role


Currently, countries can ask for aid under the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism if their national emergency services become overwhelmed. Brussels then coordinates help offered by other governments or, in severe cases, organizes the deployment of a small fleet of firefighting planes provided by EU countries.

Demand for help is rising.

“The fire season lasts longer and ends much later than was historically the case. Plus, fires are now everywhere, no longer just in the Mediterranean part,” Lenarčič said. “This year, we’ve faced specific challenges because requests were almost simultaneous.”

In mid-July, multiple countries battled devastating fires spreading across forests and fields that were already bone dry as a result of extreme heat and persistent drought.

By the end of July, halfway through Europe’s fire season, the EU had dealt with six requests for assistance, compared to nine for all of 2021; from mid-July alone, four countries — France, Portugal, the Czech Republic and Lenarčič’s native Slovenia — had called Brussels for air support.

Halfway through Europe’s fire season, the EU had dealt with six requests for assistance this year


Brussels was also involved in stationing 200 firefighters from other European countries in Greece to help local services and coordinated aerial support for Albania.

Even within the current legal limits, the EU’s role in disaster response is expanding.

The bloc is building a common emergency reserve, dubbed rescEU, which for now includes the firefighting fleet and a medical stockpile — but in the future will also include resources to respond to chemical, biological and nuclear incidents as well as equipment relevant to emergency logistics and energy supply like shelters and generators, according to Lenarčič.

“So on one hand, we have this treaty,” he said. “On the other hand, we have a growing sense that more Europe is needed in civil protection.”


Prepare and prevent


The EU's firefighting capacity is also set to expand. For now, the fleet is temporary, set up each year ahead of the wildfire season. This summer, Brussels is coordinating and funding the operation of 12 planes and one helicopter provided by Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Sweden, which decide jointly with the Commission on any deployment.

But before the end of the decade, Brussels wants to have a permanent capacity of 12 firefighting planes and nine helicopters.

The Commission and six member countries — Croatia, Portugal, Spain, France, Italy and Greece — signed letters of intent in March with Canadian manufacturer De Havilland to produce 22 Canadair-type firefighting planes, Lenarčič said.

Ten of them will be bought by governments for their own reserves, and 12 planes will be part of rescEU — owned by member countries but financed by the Commission. Binding agreements have yet to be signed.

A spokesperson for De Havilland confirmed that letters of intent for 22 firefighting planes were signed with the Commission, adding that the company “anticipate[s] all contracts to be signed in either late 2022 or early 2023 with construction beginning shortly after and first delivery in 2026.”

Given treaty restrictions, Brussels can’t own or buy any planes, or decide on the timing, place and duration of deployment. Changing that would streamline the process of disaster response, Lenarčič argued.

But national governments usually aren’t keen on handing Brussels more powers. Discussions around a joint civil protection force pose “a similar dilemma like never-ending, continuously repeated talks about a so-called European army,” he acknowledged.

The commissioner also noted that disaster response was only a small part of dealing with climate impacts, calling on EU countries to urgently step up preventative measures.

That means slashing emissions “to prevent further deterioration of the climate,” he said, but also preparing for the increase in extreme weather events like fires and floods.

The EU’s capacity for crisis response, he said, was holding up so far — all requests for firefighting aid this year were swiftly met.

“But I’m not sure we will be able to do so for long if we don’t do enough on prevention and preparedness,” Lenarčič warned. “If we only focus on response, then before long, we will be overwhelmed.”

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
×