According to a press release of the European Commission, Greece has contributed two airplanes to combat the wildfires that are blazing in the southern part of the country. The Greek assistance comes after Prime Minister Edi Rama admitted on his Facebook page, in a first response since the wildfires broke out days ago, that the state’s “capacities remain low.” He promised to “seriously” improve the emergency services over the next four years.
#Greece help to #Albania via #EUCivPro to fight #forestfires continues. EU working 24/7 to support other countries in need #solidarity
— Christos Stylianides (@StylianidesEU) August 10, 2017
In a statement, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides stated:
During this intense season of forest fires, many countries have asked for European aid that could be provided quickly. Today I would like to thank Greece for its generosity in supporting Albania for the second time, sending two planes to help its neighbor in these times of great need for assistance. Here is a very concrete example of European solidarity and the invaluable support provided by the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
The EU Copernicus satellite system has additionally provided satellite imagery to Albanian authorities to direct their efforts at controlling the fires.
