BELGRADE – Serbia has activated the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism and accepted assistance from several EU member states in fighting the wildfire in Deliblato Sands, which has affected more than 3,500 hectares.
Luka Čaušić, Head of the Emergency Management Sector at Serbia’s Ministry of Interior, said the decision was made at the proposal of the operational headquarters coordinating efforts to contain the wildfire in Deliblato Sands, also taking into account the high temperatures and unfavourable weather conditions forecast for the coming period.
Through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, Serbia accepted four Black Hawk helicopters from the rescEU strategic reserve, coordinated by the European Commission. One helicopter arrived from Romania, two from Czechia and one from Slovakia. The Romanian helicopter can carry 2.6 tonnes of water, while the helicopters from Czechia and Slovakia each have a capacity of 3.5 tonnes.
In addition to aerial support, Germany deployed a firefighting and rescue team of 55 personnel with 24 vehicles, while a Romanian team of 69 personnel arrived with 15 vehicles. In total, EU assistance comprises 124 firefighting and rescue personnel, 39 vehicles and four helicopters.
European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib confirmed that four helicopters from the EU fleet stationed in Czechia, Romania and Slovakia, as well as ground teams from Germany and Romania, had been deployed through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
The helicopters and international teams have primarily been deployed in the Deliblato Sands area, but according to the Ministry of Interior, they may also be sent to other wildfire sites in Serbia if necessary.
The activation of the EU mechanism followed weeks of efforts to contain the wildfire in Deliblato Sands. According to Vojvodina šume, the fire was first detected on 21 July and was brought under control several times, only to spread again due to strong winds and extreme weather conditions. At one point, the fire threatened settlements in the municipality of Bela Crkva, where a state of emergency was declared in Trujino Naselje, Kajtasovo and Grebenac.
In the days before the EU Civil Protection Mechanism was activated, a Russian Il-76 aircraft, capable of carrying around 42 tonnes of water, also joined the firefighting efforts.
The activation of the EU mechanism came after criticism from parts of the opposition over Serbia’s failure to request EU assistance earlier. On 21 August, before the Serbian authorities decided to request assistance, the European Commission confirmed to N1 that Serbia had not, as of that point, activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
