Civil protection is always present when others leave, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis emphasised on Friday, adding that it is “the face of the state when the citizen most needs it.”
Mitsotakis was speaking at a ceremony organised by the climate crisis and civil protection ministry at OAKA for the delivery of 164 new vehicles to the Fire Department, while assuring Fire Department and Civil Protection staff that “the state will be at your side,” and adding: “We are confident that you will rise to the occasion in this year’s fire season as well.”
“We are in the heart of the fire season, which is proving to be one of the most demanding, with the climate crisis escalating. That is why the state is fielding the most forces we have ever had: 18,000 permanent and seasonal firefighters, 1,800 foresters. I warmly thank the European countries that are by its side,” the prime minister stated.
“We have 85 aircraft, over 80 drones and almost 4,000 vehicles of different types at our disposal. This potential of the Fire Department fleet includes 164 more modern firefighting vehicles for transporting personnel, equipment, water, of different types, increasing the ability to intervene more effectively in urban areas, but obviously also in dealing with forest fires,” the prime minister added.
The 164 vehicles, with a total value of 15,550,000 euros, include all terrain fire tanker trucks, equipped with 12,000-litre tanks, as well as vehicles for transporting personnel and equipment.
He stressed that these vehicles are only 1/10 of the 1,400 in total that will strengthen the fire department through the AEGIS programme.
Among other things, Mitsotakis pointed out that “prevention is what ultimately effectively deals with forest fires. Firefighters tell us that we essentially extinguish summer fires in the winter.”
He stressed that the Greek state, with the assistance of European resources, has for the first time proceeded to address the problem of prevention in an extremely organised manner, spending over 400 million euros on forest clearing, the opening of fire zones and the general effort of early intervention so that the summer fires have a less destructive impact.
He also referred to the AEGIS programme totaling 2 billion euros, which is designed to make Greece a leading player in Europe in terms of Civil Protection infrastructure.
Mitsotakis stated that “the climate crisis is here to stay. We are well aware that this challenge is not a national challenge but a European challenge,” adding that Greece supports all the initiatives undertaken at the European level. He added that Greece needs the support of the European Union, pointing out that discussions on addressing the climate crisis should not only focus on how to reduce emissions and how to reach climate neutrality in 2050, but also make sure that “we will keep European citizens safe in 2025”. In this context, he underlined the importance of adapting to the climate crisis.
He concluded by saying that the “Civil Protection is the face of the state when the citizen needs it most, and that the aim is for the battles won to be more than the ones lost.”
The event was addressed by the European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, Ioannis Kefalogiannis, and the Deputy CEO of the Growthfund, Panagiotis Stampoulidis.
Greece has shown that solidarity is not an empty slogan but a commitment, Commissioner Lahbib says
“Greece has shown time and again that solidarity is not an empty slogan – it is your commitment. Since 2016, you have responded to 21 requests for wildfire assistance and just this month you stepped up three times for your neighbours,” European Commissioner for Equality and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, said on Friday at a ceremony for the delivery of 164 new vehicles to the Fire Department.
When Greece is in need, the EU is there too, she added, noting that after the COVID-19 pandemic, the EU established the Recovery and Resilience Facility, a “massive plan to emerge stronger and more resilient from the pandemic”.
“Greece made the smart choice to invest these funds in preparedness. These vehicules will strengthen public services to help protect communities across Greece.
“From the devastating fires in Alexandroupolis in 2023 to the threats we face this summer, you can count on the EU,” Lahbib said and added:
“These firefighting vehicles are not just impressive machines. They represent protection, preparedness, and partnership. They show the strength of a shared project, part of Greece’s ‘AIGIS’ programme, a flagship investment in civil protection, co-financed by the European Union,” the Commissioner said.
Kefalogiannis: The Fire Brigade will receive 296 vehicles of various types in 2025
A total of 164 new vehicles were delivered to the Fire Department on Friday, at an event organised by the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection at OAKA, in the presence of Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib.
On his part, Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Ioannis Kefalogiannis stressed that Friday’s delivery of 164 new vehicles to the Fire Department is part of a broader, coherent and long-term plan implemented through the AEGIS Programme, “which has as its political and moral commitment to practically support the work of the people on the front line, our firefighters, by providing them with the technical resources they need, improving their daily lives, enhancing their safety and ensuring that they can operate with means that correspond to the real demands of the battle they are fighting.”
With this main goal, he said, the Fire Department will receive a total of 296 vehicles of various types in 2025, while another 331 vehicles will follow in 2026, all financed by the Recovery and Resilience Fund.
The minister pointed out that another step was being made on that day in protecting the country against the dangers and increasingly severe manifestations of the climate crisis. He added that, upon the completion of the AEGIS Programme, the Fire Department aims to proceeded with a radical renewal and strengthening of its ground-based vehicle fleet, which will number more than 1,400 new vehicles, equipped with modern communication systems, latest-generation firefighting technologies and increased operational capabilities.
At the same time, he underlined that the action is “a demonstration of what can be achieved when Europe joins forces and we work collectively towards a common goal of the resilience of our societies.” Regarding the AEGIS programme, Kefalogiannis explained that it is not “just a technocratic project” but “a national and European collective effort to protect everything and everyone we love.”
