The European Union is ready to financially support Serbia in order to help those affected by floods, but it was necessary to define specific needs, Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia Michael Davenport said Sunday at Rex Cultural Centre where he handed in a personal and the EU Delegation-staff donation.
Davenport said that the EU emergency assistance team arrived from Brussels. The team members, together with their colleagues from Serbian Ministry of Interior, formed a joint unit in order to coordinate international community’s actions.
Joint unit is aimed at defining priorities for the next stage that will be of high cost, said Davenport and reiterated that the EU was willing to offer the financial support.
It is about defining specific requirements and matching them with real needs, Davenport said.
He pointed out the rather impressive response of Serbian rescue teams, as well as citizens’ positive reaction, adding that the EU was proud to be the part of this overall response.
Our thoughts are with those who had been and still are affected by horrible floods across Serbia, Davenport stressed.
He said that the EU’s Mechanism for Civil Protection has been activated whenever humanitarian aid is needed and that participant countries reacted swiftly to Serbia’s request by directing their teams and assistance to Serbia.
Fourteen EU member states have directed their support to Serbia, Davenport said. As an example, he mentioned that Slovenian and German rescuers were deployed in Obrenovac, whereas the Bulgarian team was in Jagodina.
