“The Union will buy 10 light amphibious planes and three new helicopters to add to our fleet”, announced Von der Leyen, noting that the EU needs more resources, given that forest fires are “increasingly frequent and more intense”.

With this acquisition, the EU's firefighting capacity will double next year.

“No country can fight alone against these extreme weather phenomena and their devastating force”, said the leader of the community executive.

In Portugal, according to data from the Institute for Nature Conservation, since January 1, more than 100 thousand hectares of forest have burned.