The European Union has sent urgent support to Serbia through its Civil Protection Mechanism as severe wildfires continue to affect the Deliblato Sands Special Nature Reserve, where more than 3,500 hectares have already been impacted.
In response to the worsening situation, Serbia activated the Civil Protection Mechanism last week, requesting European support to reinforce ongoing firefighting efforts. Within hours of Serbia's request, the EU mobilised four helicopters from the strategic reserve of the rescEU fleet based in Czechia, Romania and Slovakia, as well as ground firefighting teams from Germany and Romania.
These assets remain deployed and are supporting ongoing firefighting operations. Additionally, a liaison officer arrived in Serbia to facilitate close coordination between the Serbian authorities, the EU Emergency Response Coordination Centre, and the deployed teams, ensuring that assistance is delivered swiftly and effectively where it is most needed.
For emergency assessment and operational planning, the EU's Copernicus Emergency Management Service was already activated earlier this month, providing satellite mapping and analysis of the affected area.
The fires have been ongoing for more than two weeks, fuelled by strong winds, challenging conditions, and terrain that is difficult to access for ground-based intervention. The scale and persistence of the emergency have threatened one of Serbia's most important natural areas.
As the EU continues to mobilise firefighting support across Europe during an intense wildfire season, Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, will be visiting wildfire-affected areas in Belgium and Germany Tuesday. In the Hautes Fagnes and around Monschau, she will meet local and national authorities, first responders, visit communities affected by the fires, and see first-hand the impact of the fires and response on the ground.
Belgium requested European assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism on August 15. The European Commission coordinated the deployment of two firefighting planes from Sweden, six helicopters from the Netherlands, Germany, and Norway, specialised firefighting teams from the Netherlands and Spain, and provided emergency satellite mapping.
The 2026 wildfire season is already exceptionally severe. In response, the Civil Protection Mechanism has been activated ten times by affected countries. The European Commission said it has coordinated and co-financed the deployments of more than 700 firefighters, over 200 vehicles, and 38 aircraft.
Copernicus satellites have produced 391 emergency maps to help authorities track and respond to wildfires, with mapping operations currently supporting Italy, Montenegro, Germany, Belgium, Albania, Serbia and Croatia.
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