Bulgarian EU Commissioner Asks Serbia to Join Disaster Effort

Bulgaria's EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva, had proposed to Serbia to help with dealing with disasters across the globe. Photo by BGNES

Serbia can partake in the common European mechanism for dealing with disasters and emergency situations.

During a regional forum in the Serbian capital Belgrade, Bulgaria's EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva, proposed to Serbia to help with dealing with disasters across the globe, the Bulgarian National Radio, BNR, informs Saturday.

The move happens months before the launching in Nis of a Serb-Russian humanitarian center, which the EU and the US fear can turn into a Russian military base on the Balkans.

"In Europe we believe that the capacity to fight disasters must be built locally – because most fires, floods, human suffering happen locally, while coordination must be executed by one single structure. We have such structure in Europe, and there is no need for additional regional units. Serbia and Russia can have a joint center, but the EU sees no reason for it to be regional," Georgieva told BNR.

The Commissioner had discussed in detail the issue with Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ivica Dacic.