Good afternoon,
I want to start with a simple message – thank you, this is a message for all of you, at my side or in the background. Dear Commissioner, dear Director-General, to the staff from the ERCC and ECHO, thank you for being here when Europe needs you most. As you have said – and I learned a lot in this hour here - day and night, 24/7, weekends and on holidays, whenever a crisis strikes, the team is there. The work you do protects people and most importantly saves lives. When a country asks for help, within hours, that call becomes action. Aircrafts take off, firefighters cross borders, and Copernicus maps reach responders on the ground. What we have seen today and what the ERCC lives everyday is European solidarity in action.
This summer has shown once again how much Europe relies on you. The wildfire season started exceptionally early in late April and put national services under enormous pressure. Since April, the EU civil protection mechanism has been activated 10 times for wildfires in 8 different countries, sometimes with several happening at the same time. When national capacities are stretched, Europe steps in, you can count on Europe. Firefighting aircrafts, helicopters, ground teams with all their expertise, vehicles, satellites, all of this is needed and all of this is mobilised across the continent. And because every single moment counts in an emergency, we are acting before the worst fires begin. Another impressive figure is the nearly 800 firefighters that were pre-positioned in high-risk areas. They stood ready to reinforce local teams from the first critical hours. And over the summer, teams were deployed from 25 countries – Member States and partner countries. And for the very first time, this also included firefighters from Ukraine, helping here in the European Union. Rescue teams have worked heroically. Some tragically lost their lives while bravely protecting others. We honour their courage, we honour their service. Their memory will stay with us, and it will inspire our action moving forward.
The work of this centre goes far beyond the fires, and far beyond Europe. I was impressed to hear that when there was a Hantavirus outbreak on a ship, you prepared repatriation flights and mobilised medical evacuation services. As the earthquakes hit Venezuela, you coordinated the deployment of 750 responders and experts from 18 countries. When Colombia was struck by an earthquake, Europe provided tents, water filters and essential supplies, as well as expertise on the ground. And after the devastating floods in Nepal just last week, we saw the images from Copernicus, you immediately supported the response with Copernicus mapping.
Fires, earthquakes, floods, health emergencies, hybrid attacks, you name it. Each crisis is different and requires a specific response. But most important is that the principle is the same: when help is needed, you can count on Europe. And these crises also paint a bigger picture. The risks around us are changing. They are becoming more frequent, more complex and more severe. Changing global climate patterns are adding to this volatility. Around the world, we see higher temperatures and disrupted rainfall. For emergency services, this is not an abstract warning about the future, it is already changing the emergencies they are facing today. Extreme events happen more often, in more places, and at the same time. This centre has shown time and again that Europe can respond when crisis strikes. But we must also learn from every single crisis and we must turn those lessons into action. So that we adapt faster, strengthen prevention and act before an emergency becomes a disaster. Our civil protection mechanism is pooling and sharing this expertise and the emergency capabilities. When one country comes under pressure, we step in, because as Europe, we are greater than the sum of our parts. That is what this centre demonstrates every day,
I thank you very much for presenting to me the essence of this centre. Of course the time was way too short to speak and see enough. But for me it is also very important preparation for the State of the Union. I thank you for giving me the time, sharing with me your expertise and knowledge. From the bottom of my heart, Europe is grateful for what you're doing.
Thank you.
No próximo dia 28 de agosto, pelas 22:30, no Largo Sebastião Martins Mestre (Paços do Concelho), o Município de Olhão e o Artelier? – Teatro de Rua apresentam o espetáculo de videomapping intitulado “200 anos em movimento”, com o apoio da Junta de Freguesia de Olhão.
Integrado no programa comemorativo do Bicentenário da Câmara Municipal de Olhão, o espetáculo assinala uma data particularmente significativa: 28 de agosto de 1826, dia a que corresponde a primeira ata que integra o acervo do Arquivo Municipal e que marca o arranque formal do funcionamento da estrutura camarária olhanense.
Ao longo de cerca de 70 minutos, “200 anos em movimento” propõe uma viagem pela história da Câmara Municipal de Olhão, revisitando acontecimentos, protagonistas e momentos marcantes dos seus dois séculos de existência. Através de uma linguagem contemporânea e de uma abordagem site-specific, o espetáculo recorre à tecnologia para projetar sobre os Paços do Concelho uma nova leitura da história e da identidade olhanenses.
A proposta artística vai, contudo, além da componente audiovisual. O espetáculo integra também uma dimensão de teatro participativo, colocando em interação, ao vivo, atores profissionais com elementos de diferentes núcleos e projetos teatrais não profissionalizados do concelho: a Universidade Sénior, o Grupo de Teatro Sénior de Olhão, o AlmaMonca, novo projeto teatral sediado em Moncarapacho, e jovens ligados à Casa Municipal da Juventude Hugo Charrão.
A criação do espetáculo resulta de um trabalho desenvolvido ao longo dos últimos meses, que incluiu pesquisa histórica, investigação de campo junto da comunidade e releitura artística dos 200 anos de percurso da Câmara Municipal.
“200 anos em movimento” pretende, assim, transformar o espaço público num lugar de encontro entre memória, comunidade e criação artística, celebrando dois séculos de história municipal através de uma experiência dirigida a toda a população e a quem visita Olhão.
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