EU firefighting coordination center opens in Cyprus

A new EU firefighting coordination center has been established near Paphos, Cyprus, serving as a strategic hub for the Eastern Mediterranean. Hadja Lahbib, the EU Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management, visited the facility during her two-day trip to the country. The center is intended to bolster the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which addressed 19 assistance requests last year involving nearly 800 personnel and 60 aircraft. Commissioner Lahbib cited climate change as the primary factor behind the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfires across Europe. She specifically referenced a major, fatal wildfire in Limassol from the previous summer as the worst incident in Cyprus in over 50 years. The EU strategy emphasizes both improved emergency response and proactive forest management, including vegetation reduction through grazing. This initiative is part of broader efforts to manage the heightened risks posed by warming weather patterns in the Mediterranean region.