The EU firefighting hub that will operate this season in Cyprus, near Paphos, is a strategic centre for the entire Eastern Mediterranean, Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, said on Thursday. The Commissioner, who visited the hub as part of her two-day visit in Cyprus, underlined its important role as part of EU’s preparedness and response mechanism for wildfires, noting that “this region is on the frontline.”