Brussels, Belgium – The European Union is mobilizing emergency support to help Greece and Albania battle raging wildfires. The bloc announced on Tuesday that it is activating a coordinated response to provide aerial and ground firefighting resources to the affected countries.
Greece is receiving immediate assistance, including two firefighting planes from Italy, helicopters from France and Serbia, and ground crews from the Czech Republic, France, Italy, Romania, and Serbia. To further bolster firefighting efforts, Romania, Malta, and Moldova have already deployed firefighters to Greece.
Albania will also receive support in the form of a Romanian military aircraft capable of carrying six tonnes of water. The plane is set to be deployed on Wednesday.
While Serbia and Moldova are not EU members, they are part of the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism and are contributing to the relief efforts. This mechanism allows countries to cooperate in responding to disasters.
