José Luís Carneiro's statements took place in Lisbon during a seminar on the 2022 rural fire season, in which the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Janez Lenarčič, also participated.
“We have just applied for European Union funds for additional aerial firefighting assets that could be part of the rescEU [European Civil Protection Mechanism instrument] transition fleet for the summer of 2023, and I am convinced that we will complete this process with great success”, said the minister.
José Luís Carneiro also reinforced, in a press conference, that Portugal is still available to receive one of the four pre-positioning centres for air, land and human resources that the European Union plans to make available in parts of Europe.
The minister stressed that he had already spoken with the Minister of the Interior of Spain, "in the sense of realising" that there is in Castelo Branco an air and logistical means centre "that has logistical infrastructure conditions to support, not only the national territory, but to support the countries of the Mediterranean and also to support Spanish territory”.
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