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European Commission - Press release EU steps up civil protection efforts and brings back 356 citizens home amid developments in the Middle East Brussels, 9 March 2026 Two repatriation flights chartered directly by the European Commission have safely landed in Romania. The two flights brought back 356 European citizens who were stranded in the Middle East from Oman to Romania. For the first time ever, the Commission m...
European Commission - Press release EU steps up civil protection efforts and brings back 356 citizens home amid developments in the Middle East Brussels, 9 March 2026 Two repatriation flights chartered directly by the European Commission have safely landed in Romania. The two flights brought back 356 European citizens who were stranded in the Middle East from Oman to Romania. For the first time ever, the Commission mobilised its own rescEU transport and logistics capacities following a request from the Romanian authorities. This operation marks an important milestone in expanding the response tools of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism (UCPM). RescEU capacities were deployed by the EU's Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC). When no EU Member States and Participating States of the UCPM can offer transport capacities following a request for assistance, rescEU can be mobilised. It provides an additional layer of EU support when national capacities are not available. Beyond these rescEU flights, the EU has supported so far 42 flights, bringing over 4,100 European citizens safely back to Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, and Sweden. More flights are planned in the coming days, as a total of 23 countries have requested EU assistance: Belgium, Bulgaria, Czechia, Estonia, Ireland, France, Italy, Cyprus, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia, Finland, Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro. The Commission, in coordination with the European External Action Service and the EU Delegations on the ground, is fully mobilised to support the repatriations and remains in contact on this issue with EU Delegations and Member States' consular authorities in the region. Background Passenger planes are a new rescEU capacity since September 2025 and it is the first activation for consular support since then. The EU plays a key role in coordinating the transport and operational costs of repatriation flights. Following a request for assistance, the EU's ERCC promptly mobilises assistance and experts. Under rescEU, the Commission can cover up to 100% of the transport costs. This differs from other EU support to repatriations, where cost coverage can reach up to 75%, if at least 30% of passengers are citizens from other EU Member States or Participating States than the one that activated the Mechanism. As consular repatriations are a national competence, the Member States or participating states for which the rescEU capacities are mobilised are responsible for coordinating all consular aspects linked to the operations, including allocating seats to citizens from other interested countries under the UCPM framework and deploying consular staff, as needed. EU Delegations on the ground have assisted Member States to ensure maximum use of these repatriations by all EU citizens in need of consular assistance. For more information rescEU European Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) EU Civil Protection Mechanism Video explainer by the Spokespersons' Service on repatriations Social media explainer on repatriations Commission coordinates repatriation flights from the Middle East Joint Statement by President von der Leyen and President Costa on developments in Iran IP/26/577 Quote(s): "When crisis strikes, Europe is there for its people. When national capacities reach their limits, the EU steps in with strong support. For the first time, rescEU planes are in the skies to repatriate European citizens stranded in the Middle East. Our Civil Protection Mechanism is working day and night to bring European citizens home. Europe, standing together in times of crisis." Hadja Lahbib, Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Press contacts: Eva HRNCIROVA (+32 2 29 88433) Quentin CORTES (+32 2 29 13283) General public inquiries: Europe Direct by phone 00 800 67 89 10 11 or by email
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