In connection with the Middle East crisis, Commission assists member states in protecting EU citizens stranded in the region and in bringing them safely back home to Europe. As of Thursday, 5 March, ten nations have activated the Civil Protection Mechanism. Under certain conditions, Commission can pay part of the financial costs of the repatriation flights.
On Wednesday and Thursday, Commission’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) has supported EU member states with the organisation of six repatriation flights, bringing European citizens safely back to Bulgaria, Italy, Austria, and Slovakia. Additional repatriation flights under the Civil Protection Mechanism are planned in the coming days, as an increasing number of EU member states have activated it.
Payments subject to conditions
In addition to the coordination efforts, the European Commission can pay part of the financial costs of the repatriation flights. In particular, flights that offer seats to the citizens of EU member states other than the EU member state activating the Civil Protection Mechanism are eligible for EU co-financing.
Up to 75 per cent of the eligible costs for the flights can be reimbursed by the EU if at least 30 per cent of available seats are offered to citizens from other EU countries. The Commission can also book flights via the rescEU mechanism if no member state can support a country requesting support to evacuate its citizens. In that case, the Commission can cover 100 per cent of the costs.
Airline crisis beyond the Middle East
Following the recent developments in Iran and the Middle East, tens of thousands of EU citizens have been stranded not just in the region itself, but also further east. This is especially the case of parts of Asia-Pacific, due to the closure of key airports like Dubai, Abu Dhabi, or Doha. Hundreds of flights have already been cancelled due to security reasons and more will follow.
In this context, EU member states and participating states of the Civil Protection Mechanism have started requesting assistance for repatriation support to their citizens.
