Mallorca could be the new European fire-fighting centre for the western Mediterranean. | Photo: Majorca Daily Bulletin reporter
Humphrey CarterPalma15/10/2026 11:48
This summer when the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, travelled to Mallorca for his traditional summer meeting with His Majesty the King, Felipe VI, at the Royal Palace of La Almudaina, in Palma, he announced that he had written a letter to the president of the European Commission proposing that Mallorca host the new European fire-fighting centre for the western Mediterranean.
The announcement, which the Prime Minister shared with the King and the president of the Balearic Islands, Marga Prohens, involves setting up this hub at Son Sant Joan air base and would complement the work carried out in Cyprus by the other fire-fighting centre planned by Brussels for the eastern Mediterranean.
And, now the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, has called on the European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, to establish an air base in Mallorca to strengthen the fight against forest fires in the western Mediterranean.
Grande-Marlaska asked Lahbib, during a meeting in Brussels, for the support of the European Commission in establishing a regional air base and a centre of excellence in Mallorca to bolster the fight against wildfires, the Ministry said in a statement.
The minister based his request on Spain’s “unique operational experience”, noting that the country possesses “one of the greatest fire-fighting capabilities in Europe”, as well as a “particularly favourable geographical position” for supporting operations in the western Mediterranean and the Atlantic region.
“In 2026, Spain, Italy, France and Portugal accounted for more than 80 per cent of the total area burnt,” the minister noted. Grande-Marlaska conveyed to Commissioner Lahbib the interest shown by the nine countries comprising the MED-9 (Cyprus, Croatia, Slovenia, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Malta and Portugal) in the creation of this air hub, as expressed in the conclusions of the meeting held by this Mediterranean group in the Croatian city of Split on 7 October.
The proposal was put forward last July by the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, in a letter sent to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, who welcomed the initiative in October, without specifying the extent of the European contribution.
Grande-Marlaska has now asked Lahbib to work together to make progress on the “technical and financial details” of the proposal, its integration into the European Civil Protection Mechanism and the future European firefighting fleet, as well as on possible funding channels within the Multiannual Financial Framework 2028–2034, “which must not cut the budget for civil protection emergencies”, the minister emphasised. “We must turn this project into reality as soon as possible”, he added.
The meeting, held at the European Commission’s headquarters, also addressed the review of the European Civil Protection Mechanism, which should strengthen the Union’s response capacity, “whilst fully respecting the competences of the Member States”, the Home Secretary clarified.
Grande-Marlaska expressed his support for strengthening the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) and for ‘preserving’ the civilian nature of the European Civil Protection Mechanism, ‘as well as the leadership of the civilian authorities’ in its operations.
The minister emphasised the need to strengthen funding and prioritise emergencies in which the mechanism has already demonstrated its effectiveness, “such as forest fires, floods and earthquakes”. “Any new responsibility must be accompanied by the necessary resources to fulfil it,” he stressed.