Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides welcomed the regional firefighting hub announcement, calling it a significant development that would improve EU firefighting capabilities and benefit neighboring Middle Eastern countries.

The European Commission is planning to establish a regional firefighting hub in Cyprus to enhance wildfire response, with potential support for Middle Eastern countries like Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel.

This initiative follows longstanding advocacy by Cypriot officials since 2022 for a dedicated firefighting hub equipped with additional aircraft to respond swiftly to wildfires.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen emphasized the need for improved tools and mechanisms, such as the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, which deployed 760 firefighters this summer to combat wildfires across member states.

Wildfires this year have burned over 400,000 hectares in Spain and more than 260,000 hectares in Portugal, marking a severe year driven by climate change.

Portugal experienced its third worst wildfire year on record, with over 254,000 hectares burned up to August 31, 2025, contributing to the extensive damage caused by climate-driven fires.

Extensive wildfires this summer emitted over 38 million tons of CO2, affecting countries like Italy, Romania, Spain, and Portugal, and highlighting the climate crisis's role in intensifying fire severity.

Von der Leyen highlighted that climate change is making summers hotter and more severe, urging the EU to focus on resilience, adaptation, and nature-based solutions to address these challenges.

She paid tribute to firefighters, pilots, and civil protection teams, including Greek forest guards, emphasizing the importance of collective EU efforts in wildfire response.

Despite fewer fires overall, Cyprus faced particularly devastating wildfires, including a major July blaze that destroyed hundreds of homes and scorched over 40 square miles, prompting efforts to expand firefighting resources.

Cyprus's severe wildfires in July underscored the urgency to bolster firefighting capacity, with ongoing plans to expand its fleet through tenders for three additional aircraft as part of a five-year development strategy.

The Danish EU Presidency and European Commissioner Hadja Lahbib stressed the importance of increased investment in wildfire prevention, with a new framework expected to be adopted in late 2026.