Press Release: Dimas welcomes Barnier idea on a rapid reaction force on forest fires

Stavros Dimas, European Commissioner for Environment and Civil Protection, has welcomed the idea of former Commissioner Michel Barnier on a rapid reaction force on forest fires. Mr Barnier is the author of a report on a European civil protection force, where he proposes the creation of a European force that could immediately react in emergencies like the recent forest fires. This idea becomes timelier now after the ravaging fires that are still taking place in Southern Europe. On 30 July 2007, French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis called for a closer cooperation in this field that goes beyond the traditional voluntary pooling of resources.