Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Minister Yiannis Kefalogiannis met with the Interior Minister of Finland Mari Rantanen on Thursday, in the context of strengthening cooperation between Greece and Finland in issues of civil protection and in addressing extreme weather phenomena.
The two ministers had a lengthy discussion on the European Union's readiness to deal with extreme weather phenomena and the situation regarding forest fires in Greece.
Kefalogiannis initially expressed his gratitude for Finland's long-standing support to Greece, underlining the importance of solidarity within the European Union in times of crisis, while he made special reference to the cooperation between the two countries through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, highlighting the successful mission of Finnish firefighters to Greece in 2022 as part of a pilot programme for the pre-deployment of European firefighters to help prevent and fight fires.
In addition, he referred to the impact of the climate crisis and the importance of prevention, the "AntiNero" program, as well as forest clearing, the creation of fire-break zones, and the information campaign for land clearing.
The minister stressed the need to maintain European unity, while emphasising the importance of constructive dialogue and joint action to strengthen resilience in the EU.
During the meeting, a presentation was made on forest fires in Greece, where the Finnish minister was informed about the prevention and response strategies implemented in Greece. Afterwards, Rantanen visited the National Crisis Management Coordination Centre where she had the opportunity to witness Greece's operational potential in the sector of civil protection at close hand.
According to a ministry statement, the meeting confirmed the will of both countries to strengthen their cooperation in civil protection, in jointly facing the challenges of the climate crisis and contributing to strengthening European resilience.