The gratitude and warm thanks of the inhabitants of the village of Genesto in Spain will always be carried in his mind and in his heart by 28-year-old sub firefighter Nikolaos Paisios. In the person of the young fire brigade officer, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen appreciated the entire team of Greeks who gave their best and demonstrated the solidarity that is a basic European value, and the European firefighters who have thrown themselves into the battle with the flames this year, the worst year for many years.

At today’s #SOTEU, @vonderleyen honoured Lt. Nikolaos Paisios, who led 20 Greek rangers to fight devastating fires in Asturias, Spain.

For 5 days, they stood side by side with Spanish crews and saved a village.

True European heroes. Ευχαριστώ, Nikolaos. 🇬🇷🇪🇸🇪🇺 pic.twitter.com/1URGV7JTrX

— Hadja Lahbib (@hadjalahbib) September 10, 2025

The video of Mrs von der Leyen’s speech and references to Mr Paizio were posted on X yesterday by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis:

Speaking to protothema.gr, Paisios noted that the Greek team of firefighters, who operated for five days in Spain, “joined a large operation together with their Spanish colleagues, where we worked really united. The cooperation was excellent; we exchanged information, and we were constantly coordinating and using common methods. It was impressive to see how, despite different languages and cultures, we could communicate so well and act quickly and efficiently.”

The young officer, who was also congratulated by the European Commissioner for Crisis Management, Hajah Lahbib, and was a guest of honour at the annual State of the Union Address (SOTEU) by the President of the Commission, recalls that the most intense moment that was imprinted in his memory was when the flames were getting very close to the village. “We did perimeter defence and applied controlled burns to stop the fire. Also, the air assets we had were very helpful, flying over the front and supporting the teams on the ground. It was a critical moment where we understood how important it is to work in coordination and follow specific steps to achieve the best result,”he says.

Paisios, who hails from Malesina, became a firefighter having consciously chosen this profession. The reactions of people who have been helped at the critical moment when flames threaten their lives or property become valuable prizes in his journey. He recalls, therefore, the emotion he felt at the expressions of gratitude from the people of the Spanish village: “What moved me most was the gratitude of the villagers. They thanked us from the bottom of their hearts for helping them to save their homes and property. It is these moments that really stay etched in your memory and remind you why you do this work. This experience showed me how important cooperation between countries is and how much power there is in sharing knowledge and experiences when we all give our best, he concludes.

It may be recalled that addressing Mr Paisios, Ursula von der Leyen thanked him and described: “When the fires broke out in the Asturias region, Spain asked for help. Greece responded. The flames were so big that the smoke was visible from space. For five days, the Greeks stayed by the side of their Spanish colleagues. As the flames came dangerously close to the village of Genesis, however, they fought day and night. And finally, altogether, they saved the village, “he stressed.

Shortly after the speech, a video with extensive references to the contribution of Greek firefighters was posted by Crisis Response Commissioner, Haja Lahbib.