Albania: EU mobilises emergency support following earthquakes

Following the 6.3 magnitude earthquake and 3 aftershocks that hit Albania on 25 November, the EU Civil protection Mechanism was activated at the request of the Albanian authorities. The European Union has already helped mobilise 3 search and rescue teams, which will deploy to Albania to assist the Albanian authorities with their search and rescue operations. “The European Union stands by Albania at this difficult time. Search and rescue teams from Italy, Greece and Romania are already on their way. In addition, I would like to thank Hungary, Germany, Croatia, France, Estonia, the Czech Republic and Turkey for their offers of assistance through the European Civil Protection Mechanism. My thoughts are with the victims and all the people affected by the disaster”, said Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides. Earlier this morning, Commissioner Stylianides spoke on the phone with the President of Albania, Mr Ilir Meta, and reaffirmed EU’s solidarity and readiness to help. Copernicus system has been activated for the production of satellite images of the affected zones, and the European Union’s 24/7 Emergency Response Coordination Centre is in contact with the Albanian authorities and continues to monitor the situation. Additional EU assets are on standby should they be needed. The EU will also deploy a Civil Protection Team to help the authorities coordinate the response and assess the damage. A statement by High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini and Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides is available online.