European Solidarity · Civil Protection
RescEU Mechanism: European fire-fighting support
When a country is overwhelmed by fire, it can call on Europe. rescEU is the joint reserve of around 30 water-bombing aircraft and helicopters funded by the EU, coordinated from Brussels 24 hours a day. France activated it in 2022, when the Gironde was ablaze — and is now awaiting delivery of its future Canadair aircraft.
Key points
- A common European reserve : around 30 shared water-bombing aircraft and helicopters, fully funded by the EU.
- Co-ordinated from Brussels by theERCC, the European crisis centre, which operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
- The EU covers the costs at least 75 per cent the costs of transporting and deploying reinforcements.
- Activated by France during the The massive wildfires in Gironde in 2022 : Greek and Swedish Canadair aircraft, 361 European firefighters on the ground.
- Two DHC-515 — the future French Canadair aircraft — ordered via rescEU, with delivery expected around 2028.
From solidarity in principle to a joint fleet
No European country can cope with a season of massive wildfires on its own. This is the fundamental premise behind rescEU. Mutual aid in the event of disasters has, however, been in place since 2001 with the EU Civil Protection Mechanism — but for nearly twenty years, it confined itself to coordinating national resources provided on a case-by-case basis. Faced with an increase in the frequency and intensity of wildfires, Europe reached a turning point in 2019: it established its own reserve of resources, funded from the common budget.
Since then, every summer has confirmed the value of the scheme — and the urgent need to strengthen it. 2025 will go down as the worst fire season ever recorded in Europe, with over a million hectares burnt: the mechanism was activated 16 times a record number of fires.
Establishment of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, a framework for solidarity between Member States in the event of disasters — more than 330 requests for assistance have been processed since then.
The reform of the mechanism establishes rescEU: a dedicated European reserve, including a fleet of water-bombing aircraft fully funded by the EU.
Gironde mega-fires: France has activated the emergency response mechanism and is receiving Greek and Swedish Canadair aircraft, as well as 361 firefighters from Germany, Austria, Poland and Romania.
The worst fire season ever recorded in Europe (over a million hectares burnt); the mechanism was activated 16 times in response to fires.
New European strategy: expansion of the rescEU fleet and establishment of a fire-fighting centre in Cyprus.
Delivery is expected of the two DHC-515s — the future Canadair aircraft — ordered by France via rescEU.
Mechanism, reserve, ERCC: how is a reinforcement triggered?
People often use the term ‘RescEU’ to refer to the whole scheme, but the scheme is based on two distinct and complementary components.
The Mechanism, the framework
Founded in 2001, the EU Civil Protection Mechanism enables a country that is overwhelmed to request assistance and organises the collective response, both within Europe and beyond.
rescEU, the reserve
Founded in 2019, rescEU is the practical resources that this mechanism mobilises: water-bombing aircraft, as well as medical evacuation aircraft and field hospitals, 100 per cent funded by the EU.
In other words: the Mechanism is the telephone ringing, rescEU is the Canadair aircraft taking off. At the heart of it all is the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), in Brussels, is on constant standby. When a Member State realises that the scale of a disaster exceeds its capacity, it submits a request to the ERCC; the ERCC identifies the resources available — either from its own reserve or offered by other Member States — and organises their deployment to the disaster-stricken area.
The Union then takes responsibility for at least 75 per cent of the costs transport and deployment. For the requesting country, the assurance of receiving reinforcements quickly, without the cost being a deterrent; for the contributing countries, the guarantee that they will in turn receive assistance. A system of mutual assurance on a continental scale.
What the rescEU reserve contains
When it comes to forest fires, the core of the operation is a fleet of around 30 water-bombing aircraft and helicopters pooled resources, provided by seven countries: Cyprus, Croatia, Spain, France, Greece, Italy and Sweden. Any participating country may request it.
Preventive pre-positioning
Every summer, even before the first major fires break out, European aircraft and fire crews are stationed in the countries most at risk — France, Greece, Spain, Portugal — to save valuable time.
The Eye of the Satellite
The scheme is based on Copernicus, the European satellite programme, which maps disaster-stricken areas to aid decision-making and the coordination of relief efforts.
Moreover, rescEU is not limited to fires: the reserve also includes medical evacuation aircraft, medical equipment and field hospitals, which can be deployed in the event of health emergencies or chemical, biological and radiological incidents.
France in rescEU: giving and receiving
France is trying to have it both ways. Contributions, she takes on a Dash 8 to the joint fleet and ordered two via rescEU DHC-515 — the successors of the Canadair CL-415 —, expected around 2028.
On the profit side, the summer of 2022 marked a turning point. Overwhelmed by the massive wildfires in Gironde, France activated the mechanism and received Greek and Swedish Canadair aircraft, as well as 361 firefighters Germans, Austrians, Poles and Romanians who had come to support the SDIS firefighters on the ground — its first deployment, including the use of ground-based resources. More recently, pre-positioned Romanian firefighters supported local crews during a fire near Perpignan.
For the Civil Protection service, rescEU is an ‘ emergency safety net ’, which can be deployed when all national resources are stretched to breaking point. Summer 2026: whilst the Gironde region is once again facing a major wildfire in Lacanau — a season already marked by the world’s first airdrop of a A400M water bomber —, this net remains as relevant as ever.
RescEU and the European Mechanism in figures
| EU Civil Protection Mechanism | Established in 2001 — over 330 requests for assistance processed |
|---|---|
| rescEU Reserve | Established in 2019, fully funded by the EU |
| Participating states | 27 EU Member States + around ten non-EU countries |
| Coordination | Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC), Brussels — 24 hours a day |
| Financial support | At least 75 per cent of transport and deployment costs |
| Forest fire fleet | ≈ 30 aircraft and helicopters, provided by 7 countries (Cyprus, Croatia, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Sweden) |
| Summer pre-positioning | Aircraft and crews stationed in the countries most at risk |
| ‘Traffic lights’ roll-outs in 2025 | 16 — annual record |
| French contribution | One Dash 8 in the joint fleet; two DHC-515s on order (delivery ≈ 2028) |
| Satellite support | Copernicus Programme (emergency mapping) |
rescEU or the national fleet? Two complementary levels
rescEU does not replace French resources: it steps in when those resources are at full capacity. These are two approaches that complement each other perfectly.
French national fleet
- Aircraft, helicopters, tankers
- In action right from the starting gun
- Co-ordinated by the Civil Protection Service
- Funded from the national budget
- Logic: the top-ranked answer
rescEU mechanism
- A pooled European reserve, funded by the EU
- Enabled only when a country is overtaken
- Co-ordinated from Brussels (ERCC)
- ≥ 75 % of costs covered
- Logic: the ultimate safety net
And what about tomorrow? A growing European fleet
Following the record-breaking season of 2025, the Union presented a new strategy integrated fire risk management — prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. In terms of resources, the fleet is expanding: the acquisition of twelve aeroplanes and five helicopters additional units, the first of which was delivered to Romania in early 2026, and the establishment in Cyprus of a European Firefighting Centre, a centre for exercises and training situated as close as possible to the Mediterranean region.
The underlying logic is clear: in the face of fires that know no borders and are striking regions previously spared, rescEU is no longer an exceptional back-up mechanism — it is becoming a permanent pillar of Europe’s fight against forest fires. The question is no longer whether to pool resources, but to what extent.
Frequently asked questions about the RescEU mechanism
Follow these updates live.
Aircraft and helicopters in the air, active fires, today’s alerts: the real-time maps on the Forest Fires website link each page in this section to the situation on the ground. And if you witness a fire breaking out, call 112 first and foremost.