The European Commission will open in the coming weeks a fire coordination center based in Cyprus, and its objective is to have it operational this summer, the European Commissioner for the Mediterranean has announced, Dubravka Suica, during the presentation of Action Plan for the Mediterraneanas part of the European Union’s efforts to strengthen ties and join forces with the countries of the region.
“Whether in the Middle East, North Africa or even Cyprus itself, we urgently needed a center like this“said Suica, who recalled the seriousness of last year’s fires. According to figures from the Commission itself, In 2025 more than one million hectares of community territory burned. It is the largest cumulative area burned in the European Union ever recorded.
The objective of creating this center is “to improve disaster preparedness and response,” explained the commissioner. Originally conceived to support the efforts of the bloc’s countries, this will allow support to the “southern Mediterranean partners”, Suica said.
Since this summer, The center will have firefighters and aerial resources ready to be deployed wherever needed. Although the commissioner has acknowledged that right now she does not know “how many helicopters or planes there will be.” Beyond the response capacity, Brussels’ objective is promote the exchange of information, good practices and training to improve firefighting.
The center will be financed with European fundsbut Brussels also opens the door for those countries that decide to participate to contribute financially. According to the Commission, countries such as Spain, Cyprus, France, Lithuania, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon or Syria They have already shown interest.
The inauguration was scheduled for next week, but it has been delayed for “logistical” reasons, Suica explained. The main reason is that Cyprus to host informal summit Thursday and Friday of the European Council.
A Pact for the Mediterranean
Suica announced the opening of the center during a press conference in which it presented a action plan for the Mediterranean. The plan translates the initiatives that the Commission presented a few months ago with which it hopes strengthen ties with the countries of the region.
In an increasingly turbulent geopolitical and economic context, the EU seeks to strengthen ties with its Mediterranean partners. The document lay the foundation of the future of cooperation between the European Union and its southern neighbors, from North Africa to the Middle East.
Migration and energy
“Together we share the ambition of a common Mediterranean area, an area of peace, prosperity and stability in a sea of opportunities, which is the Mediterranean,” said the commissioner. Among the initiatives that Suica presented this Friday are the creation of a network of universities or the intensification of cooperation to stop irregular migratory flows.
Brussels has also opted in its plan for invest in renewable energies and in the technological development of these countries. “This is especially important now, given the current energy crisis and the current energy context,” said the Commissioner for the Mediterranean.
“Investing in renewable energy in the southern Mediterranean is a triple victory,” said Suica. “First, for Europe, thanks to greater diversification of energy supply; second, for our partners, through investment and economic growth; and third, for the planet, for the entire world, thanks to clean energy,” he explained.
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