Serbian Leader Urges Foreign Donors to Aid Recovery

Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic addressed a meeting of international donors in Belgrade on Thursday called to assess ways of helping Serbia deal with the floods that have affected 1,643,832 citizens in 39 municipalities.

Vucic said that 31,879 people had been evacuated from flood-affected areas and 140 shelters set up, including 47 in the capital, Belgrade.

The estimated damage to Serbia so far exceeds 0.6 percent of its gross national income, GNI, which is a precondition for obtaining assistance from the EU Solidarity Fund, Vucic said, adding that the cost of repairing the damage would be around 174.5 million euro.

He also said the government would prepare a plan for the country's recovery, adding that the damage estimate will be drawn up in a transparent way.

The Prime Minister said that, in the years to come, Serbia will need assistance with its economic recovery, and urged international donors to help with their knowledge, money and in any other way.

The head of the EU mission to Serbia, Michael Davenport, told the same meeting that Serbia could receive 30 million euro in the short term for urgent elimination of flood damage.

"From the beginning of the floods Serbia has received more aid from EU member states than it requested and teams of experts from EU are helping to protect electric power facilities from the floods,” Davenport noted.

According to him, the exact amount of aid that Serbia will receive from the EU will be established after the bill is more exactly estimated.

"The EU will send 200 experts to assist the Serbian government in the control of damage recovery and spending the money for that purpose,” he said.

Diplomatic officials of 27 countries, as well as...