TIRANA – The European Commission decided Thursday to assist Albania to battle forest fires across the country.
According to European Commission’s decision two more Greek airplanes will be mobilised to battle forest fires in Albania through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides welcomed the decision to assist Albania to tackle the blazes.
“Today I would like to thank Greece for its generosity in supporting Albania for the second time by sending two planes to help its neighbour in times of great need for assistance. This is a very concrete example of European solidarity and invaluable support provided through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism,” Stylianides said.
Albania made first request for assistance to combat forest fires on 2 August. Following Albania’s request, Greece sent 2 aircraft that operated in southern Albania between 3 and 6 August. Today’s EC decision will mobilize two additional firefighting planes from Greece to assist Albanian authorities in their efforts to tackle the blazes.