Symbolic action during the third stage of the Tour de France (Monday 6 July)
On the occasion of the third stage of the Tour de France, a giant European Union flag (22 × 17 metres) will be unfolded just before the peloton crosses the border between Spain and France, as it passes through Puigcerdà (Catalonia, Spain).
This is an initiative of the European Commission with the participation of the Consulate General of France in Barcelona, the Delegation of the Government of Spain in Catalonia, the Government of Catalonia, the municipalities of Puigcerdà and Bourg-Madame, the Euroregion and the Pyrénées and Girona Europe Direct centres.
It makes particular sense in the context of the fires ravaging the region, while European solidarity has entered into action.
European solidarity in action
The fires in the Eastern Pyrenees remind us of the vulnerability of our territories to natural disasters and global warming, which do not know about borders, and of the need to act jointly and in a spirit of solidarity to tackle them.
In view of the scale of the fires, France activated last night the European Union Civil Protection Mechanism, which makes it possible to make emergency response teams and specialised resources provided by individual countries available to Member States.
At the request of a country, the European Commission coordinates the deployment of resources. If needed, resources from the rescEU European strategic reserve, such as firefighting planes and helicopters, may also be mobilised.
The European Commission has just mobilised four rescEU planes from Sweden and Cyprus, which are expected to reach the affected areas in southern France today.
In addition, also under this solidarity mechanism, the European Commission has deployed this year a record number of firefighters to fight forest fires: 777 firefighters from 14 European countries are strategically pre-positioned in high-risk areas.
In France, Romanian firefighters have been pre-positioned since 29 June near Perpignan to support French firefighting teams.
In this context, the unfolding of the European flag reminds us that the values promoted by sport – solidarity, teamwork, resilience and collective engagement – are also common values that enable Europeans to face together emergencies such as fires in the Eastern Pyrenees.
Context: a European dimension integrated in the history of the Tour de France
The Tour de France is much more than a sporting competition. For more than a century, this historic event has connected territories and brought cultures around shared values through sport.
Within seconds, cyclists will cross the border. A crossing which is today done without controls or border posts. What seems obvious was not always the case and is an exception in contemporary political geography.
This European dimension has been part of the Tour’s history for decades. In 1987, the Grand Départ was from West Berlin, when the wall was still standing. In 1992, Tour left from San Sebastian (Basque Country, Spain) and crossed seven European countries to celebrate the signing of the Maastricht Treaty as founding treaty of the European Union (which replaced the European Communities).
Puigcerdà: a meaningful place
The location chosen for the unfolding of the flag is Puigcerdà, at km 153 of the stage, at the beginning of a mountain race, a few hundred metres from the border between Spain and France, very close to the cross-border hospital in Cerdanya.
This is Europe’s first and only cross-border hospital, a concrete example of European cooperation. It offers healthcare to people on both sides of the Pyrenees through multi-country medical staff and illustrates how European projects concretely improve people’s daily lives.
Representatives present
This action will bring together several institutional representatives:
- Manuel Szapiro, Director of the European Commission Representation in Barcelona,
- Agah-Ducrocq, Consul General of France in Barcelona,
- Mercè Carbó, Deputy Mayor and Municipal Counsellor Puigcerdà in charge of Sports,
- Daniel Armisen, Mayor of Bourg-Madame,
- Oriol Lázaro, Director-General of the Catalunya Exterior,
- Narcís Casassa, territorial representative of the Sports Department in Girona,
- Xavier Bernard-Sans, Director-General of the Pyrenees Mediterranean Euroregion, and
- Claire Sarda Vergès, Director of EUROPE DIRECT Pyrénées.
Practical information
Action: unfolding of a giant European Union flag (22 × 17 metres) when the peloton passes, visible through aerial images taken and broadcast by France Télévisions.
Date: Monday 6 July 2026
Time: 16:05 h.
Step: third stage of the Tour de France
Place: Puigcerdà, km1 national road 154 (N-154)
Additional information:
Why does the European Union flag have 12 golden stars in the shape of a circle?
The circle of golden stars represents unity, solidarity and harmony among the peoples of Europe. The 12 stars are a symbol of perfection and completeness and are unrelated to the number of Member States.
How does the EU Civil Protection Mechanism work in practice?
When a Member State finds that the scale of an emergency – as in the case of fires – exceeds its capacity to respond, it may request assistance from the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. Requesting this aid is voluntary: the application is submitted by the State concerned.
The application arrives in Brussels: it is forwarded to the Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC). This centre functions as a European contact point 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to receive requests and organise the response.
The EU looks for the available resources: the ERCC contacts participating countries to see who can send material, airplanes, helicopters or equipment on the ground. Countries may offer resources on their own initiative, and the Commission coordinates everything.
RescEU completes the response: if national capacities and offers from other countries are not enough, the EU activates rescEU, its common strategic reserve. This reserve includes firefighting planes and helicopters, as well as other emergency resources.
Resources are deployed: once the response has been validated, the resources are sent to the affected country. The EU coordinates logistics, priorities and operational deployment to ensure that aid reaches where it is needed quickly.
Monitoring continues on the ground: during the intervention, European monitoring tools, such as mapping and observation services, help visualise the evolution of the fire and adapt the response. This allows for better targeting of reinforcements and support to national authorities.
The EU bears part of the costs: the mechanism is not limited to coordination, as the EU also finances part of the resources and their deployment, which reduces the burden on the affected state and fosters solidarity between countries.
In short, the mechanism works in a chain: national request, European coordination, mobilisation of state resources, possible activation of rescEU, deployment, and financial and operational support.
What is the contribution of the Pyrenees Mediterranean Euroregion?
The Pyrenees Mediterranean Euroregion, created more than 20 years ago, is a political cooperation project between Catalonia, Occitanie and the Balearic Islands, with the aim of creating a pole of sustainable development of the territory at the service of its citizens. It is a European-level body which works to strengthen cooperation between institutions and their territorial actors (citizens, students, businesses, universities, various public institutions and cultural actors), as well as to develop the European spirit and cooperation through projects funded by the Euroregion and the European Union on innovation, health, research, education, culture, preservation of the environment and promotion of sustainable tourism. The Euroregion associates a youth assembly in its actions, which proposes specific policies to respond to its needs. Some representatives will be in Puigcerdà on the day of the unfolding of the flag as ambassadors of the Euroregional and European idea and values.
What is the EGTC Hospital de Cerdanya and how is it funded?
The EGTC Hospital de Cerdanya is the first cross-border hospital in Europe. A unique centre that provides a joint service to the population of Cerdanya and the French district of Capcir, thanks to its management through the European Grouping of Territorial Cooperation (EGTC). This form of cooperation makes it possible to share resources and ensure coordinated healthcare on both sides of the border. It is funded with EUR 18.6 million under the European Union’s Interreg POCTEFA programme and has become a historic example of European health cooperation.
EUROPE DIRECT centres
EUROPE DIRECT is the European Commission’s proximity information network, with around 400 centres spread across the European Union. Its mission is to bring the European Union closer to citizens by providing information on European policies, rights and opportunities, and to encourage debate and civic participation. The EUROPE DIRECT centres work closely with local institutions, the media, schools and the associations to explain the impact of European decisions on citizens’ daily lives and to convey their concerns to the European institutions.
Examples of European projects for cross-border firefighting
- PRINCALB: The project that changed the management of fires in the Pyrenees arrives at the European publication Stories of Cooperation – POCTEFA
- Desbosiguem POCTEFA-Desbosiguem! — NRP (National Response Plan)
Contact persons for the media:
European Commission Representation in Barcelona
Carlota Martí: carlota [dot] marti-niubo
ec [dot] europa [dot] eu (carlota[dot]marti-niubo[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
European Commission Representation in Paris
Delphine Le Roy Delphine [dot] LEROYec [dot] europa [dot] eu (Delphine[dot]LEROY[at]ec[dot]europa[dot]eu)
- Publication date
- 3 July 2026
- Author
- Representation in Spain – Barcelona