The EU firefighting hub that will operate this season in Cyprus, near Paphos, is a strategic centre for the entire Eastern Mediterranean, Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, said on Thursday. The Commissioner, who visited the hub as part of her two-day visit in Cyprus, underlined its important role as part of EU’s preparedness and response mechanism for wildfires, noting that ‘this region is on the frontline.’
Lahbib highlighted the fact that wildfires have become bigger, faster, and harder to stop due to climate change all over Europe, which is the fastest warming continent, as the Commissioner noted. She added that weather conditions in the Eastern Mediterranean make it more likely for wildfires to occur and even mentioned the lethal wildfire in Limassol last summer, as the worst wildfire Cyprus had seen in more than half a century.
‘No one is immune and that is why the European Union is taking strong action,’ the Commissioner said, noting that the Civil Protection Mechanism responded to 19 requests for assistance last year, deploying nearly 800 firefighters and pilots and close to 60 planes and helicopters.
Lahbib underlined the importance of prevention, with the maintenance of healthy, well-managed forests and landscapes and reduced dry vegetation by grazing animals. She also said that ‘to prevent better, we need to prepare better,’ and explained that this is the goal with the reinforcement of the European Forest Fire Information System, powered by our Copernicus satellites.
EU’s capacity for deployment of forces, Lahbib continued, will allow faster and more effective response and explained that the Cyprus firefighting hub is part of EU’s plan to position nearly 800 firefighters from 14 countries in high-risk areas.
Following Spain, France, Greece, Italy, and Portugal, Cyprus will host pre-positioned teams for the first time. ‘That tells you something important: this region is on the frontline,’ said the Commissioner. ‘We are also deploying 18 airplanes and 4 helicopters from our rescEU fleet, stationed across 11 Member States,’ she added.
‘The new Cyprus firefighting Hub is not just a base for aircraft, it is a strategic centre for the entire Eastern Mediterranean,’ Lahbib continued, noting that it will host six pre-positioned aircrafts, EU-funded training, exchanges with partners of the region. ‘This hub will get planes in the air fast, heading to hotspots in Cyprus, Lebanon, or Jordan within hours. In wildfire response, the first hours often decide everything,’ she explained.
‘This hub strengthens our European solidarity. It sends one clear message: when you need us, we will be there. It goes beyond firefighting, it is a building block of the Pact for the Mediterranean, strengthening climate adaptation, building stability, and cementing trust between Europe and its southern neighbours,’ Lahbib concluded.
CRAFS designed to close clear geographical and operational gap in European system, Ioannou says
———————
“The challenges we face are common, and so must be our response,” Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou said in his address.
He welcomed the announcement by President Von der Leyen in her 2025 State of the Union address on the establishment of a European Firefighting Hub in Cyprus.
“While rescEU aerial assets are currently hosted in several Member States, there is no permanent EU operational presence in the Eastern Mediterranean, despite the region’s high climate vulnerability and increasing operational demand,” he explained.
According to the Cypriot Interior Minister “recent experience with wildfires has clearly demonstrated that climate-related emergencies are becoming more frequent, more intense, and increasing transboundary in nature. They also highlighted the strategic importance of a more geographical balanced distribution of European civil protection assets.”
In this context, he pointed out, “the establishment of Cyprus Regional Aerial Firefighting Support Hub (CRAFS) will significantly enhance operational coverage in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Southern Neighbourhood.”
CRAFS, he clarified, “is not intended to redistribute existing capacities from other Member States.” Rather, he noted, “it is designed to close a clear geographical and operational gap in the current European system.”
Cyprus, Ioannou said, “offers a uniquely strategic location at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa, allowing for rapid deployment to areas of high wildfire risk across the Eastern Mediterranean. In this regard, the regional dimension of CRAFS is particularly important.”
“Strengthening preparedness and response capacities in neighbouring countries contributes directly to the protection and resilience of the EU itself, while also reinforcing regional cooperation and stability,” he added.
At the same time, CRAFS is envisaged not only as an operational deployment platform, but also as a long-term regional centre for training, preparedness, technical cooperation, and capacity building. Therefore, for Cyprus, the establishment of CRAFS is a high political priority.
“We acknowledge that discussions continue regarding the appropriate legal, operational, and financial framework of the initiative, including issues related to the participation of third countries, operational deployment modalities, and the long-term sustainability of the Hub,” he said.
According to Ioannou, it is important that the governance and funding arrangements fully reflect the European and regional dimension of this initiative, as well as Cyprus’ substantial contribution as host country.