The Bulgarian EU Commissioner Kristalina Georgieva has announced that the EU Commission will take care of Russian children and firemen, affected by the devastating wildfires.

“Europe is everywhere where Russia needs. Relations become stronger in times of crisis,” Georgieva said Thursday in an interview for the Bulgarian National Darik Radio.

Georgieva, who is the EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, has stated that she has participated in a meeting between the Bulgarian PM Boyko Borisov and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, where the latter stated that his country needs equipment in order to fight the fires, and not money.

Another crisis, pointed out by the Bulgarian EU Commissioner, were the floods in north Europe, where the countries have taken a grip on the situation and has not asked for help the EU.

“Now, the attention is focused on Pakistan, where millions of people have been affected,” Georgieva said.

She has explained that in a critic situation, she could approve up to EUR 3 M in 24 hours, which to be sent as a financial aid to the suffering country.

Georgieva has added that the budget for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and crisis Response is EUR 1 B per year. She noted that the period for approval of the financial aid, which is currently 3 months, needs to be decreased.

“When we are alarmed about a disaster, we mobilize our teams, which assess the needs. We do not give money to governments; we work only with organizations we trust. Every year we check 1/3 of our partners and 1/3 of the projects,” Georgieva said and added that the operational actions are much faster when they work with organizations like the Red Cross.

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