EU leaders have adopted the Athens Declaration on Climate Change and the Environment in the Mediterranean during the 8th EUMED 9 Summit held in the Greek capital.
Greek Tourism Minister Harry Theoharis said he would see to it that additional aid would be extended to tourism enterprises and employees affected by the fires on Evia.
Tourism professionals on the Greek island of Evia, which saw thousands of hectares of woodland ravaged by fires, have launched an online campaign to raise awareness and garner support to rebuild their future.
Protecting all forms of life in natural disasters is a key priority, said Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Thursday in the aftermath of the country’s worst fires in decades.
A dozen countries have extended firefighting support to Greece which is still struggling to put out wildfires across the country in one of the worst summers in its modern history.
Following fires in Greece, Italy, Albania, Morocco, North Macedonia, Turkey and Lebanon, the Mediterranean Tourism Foundation (MTF) is calling on authorities to extend support with concrete action.
Greece declared a state of emergency on Thursday until August 9 as dozens of fires continued to burn in the wider Athens area, on Evia island, in Central and Northern Greece and in the Peloponnese.
As temperatures continue to soar in Greece, firefighters are battling forest fires in various parts of the country, including near Ancient Olympia and its temples.
Dozens of forests fires have broken out across Greece in conditions of extreme heat with the largest at the northwest Athens suburb of Varibobi and Evia island.
A spatial plan for the redevelopment of the wider area of Mati, Nea Makri and Rafina, which was ravaged by deadly fires in July 2018, is up for public consultation.
Greek civil protection authorities are gearing up with more staff, new planes and improved infrastructure to address the potential outbreak of wildfires.
