PHILIPPE WOJAZER / Portal
Emmanuel Macron (here in 2017 in the Elysée) thanks the European neighbors who are helping to fight the fires
POLITICS – question of solidarity. The President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron published a message on his Twitter account this Thursday, August 11, to thank the European neighbors who are coming to France’s aid to fight against the fires that are multiplying on the territory , especially in the Southwest . . . Floor reinforcements, but not only.
“Germany, Greece, Poland and in the next few hours Romania and Austria: our partners are coming to France’s aid in the face of the fires,” wrote the head of state on social networks when his Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne arrived in Hostens, in the Gironde, at the bedside of the Firefighters battling a mega fire that has already devastated more than 6,000 acres. And to add: “Thank you to them. European solidarity is at work. »
Germany, Greece, Poland and in the next few hours Romania and Austria: Our partners are coming… https://t.co/MqT43yvAwr
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron)
At the same time, the European Commission announces the dispatch of 4 planes from the EU fleet from Greece and Sweden, while Europe’s Copernicus satellite was activated “to collect essential data for first responders to burned areas. »
Some reinforcements are expected tonight
The day before, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin was pleased about “several positive feedback” and referred in particular to the support from Italy. “Italy remains in solidarity with France, as it was in July,” Emmanuel Macron confirmed on Twitter this Thursday, while the local civil protection agency said the day before that it could not respond to the call from the French authorities to assert itself in their country because of the fires. “Several Canadairs are arriving to support the French and European firefighters deployed on our territory,” the President of the Republic finally specifies.
“Last year we lent many air resources in Greece, Spain, sometimes in Italy, sometimes outside of Europe,” explained Gérald Darmanin on Wednesday, “France is particularly affected, so we are asking for European help. This was the case a month ago, in July, with the same fire in the Gironde.
According to pictures published on social networks, reinforcements from across the Rhine are already on their way. Radio Sanef 107.7 therefore shares the video of a “column of German firefighters on the A1 towards the south of France”, taken this Thursday morning, like you can see it below. Berlin speaks of 64 firefighters and 24 vehicles expected from Thursday evening. Polish reinforcements – 146 firefighters and 49 vehicles – will arrive on Friday noon, according to Elysee.
#Fire In view of very large fires in #France, reinforcements are expected from European countries… https://t.co/v90NeGj6iG
— Sanef 107.7 🎙️ (@sanef_1077)
“The Romanians and the Germans will be there at dawn tomorrow,” assured the press Martin Guespereau, Delegate Prefect for Defense and Security in the Gironde. A total of 361 European firefighters made their way to south-west France to support the 1,100 firefighters fighting day and night against the restart of the gigantic Landiras fire (14,000 hectares were already burning in July).
It has to be said that France is facing an “extraordinary” situation, according to Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne, who traveled to the firefront to express her support for the firefighters.
Canadairs and Air Tractors
“We have never mobilized so many resources,” she stressed, noting the ground reinforcements announced by the President of the Republic, the imminent arrival of two “Greek Canadians” and two “Swedish planes,” Air Tractor. They will be dispatched “during the day”, according to the presidency, to help the French fleet and the 21 planes that make it up.
Under, a spokesman for the European Commission summarizes the aid sent to France: 4 planes and firefighters from Germany, Greece, Poland, Austria and Romania. The Italian Canadairs announced by Emmanuel Macron are added to this list.
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In this very delicate context, despite the European mobilization or the trip of Gérald Darmanin and Élisabeth Borne, the executive is being challenged for a lack of support or preparation on the ground or on social networks. The Prime Minister was urged to “draw the conclusions” from those fires during her sometimes muscular exchange in Hostens on Thursday.
“Let’s remember how our firefighters were treated during the demonstration four months ago to demand more equipment, Canadians, manpower and an increase in their miserable wages,” Ségolène Royal wrote on Twitter, urging them to “respect” them. , beyond the usual thanks.
Before nightfall on Wednesday, eight major fires were burning across France, in Gironde, Maine-et-Loire, Jura, Drôme, Aveyron and Lozère… Not to mention countless smaller fires erupting from north to south every day.
See also on The HuffPost: Gironde fire starts again and spreads towards Landes
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