The European Commission has decided to help North Macedonia and Bulgaria fight forest fires, European Commission spokesman Balazs Ujvari said on July 16. Ujvari said four helicopters and three firefighting planes were sent to North Macedonia, which has been in a state of crisis for 30 days. He said two firefighting helicopters were sent to Bulgaria from the Czech Republic. A complete ban on movement in the forests has been announced in North Macedonia due to the increased danger of forest fires, which have threatened hundreds of hectares of land. Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dacic emphasized that the helicopters provided by Belgrade are meant to extinguish the fire, not as a sign of military dominance. To read the original stories by RFE/RL’s North Macedonia Service, click here and here.
EU Sends Aircraft To North Macedonia, Bulgaria To Help Fight Forest Fires
Serbia has sent helicopters to North Macedonia to help fight forest fires.