Mali: Serbian gov't has set aside 3 mln euros for post-fire recovery

BELGRADE - Serbian First Deputy PM and Finance Minister Sinisa Mali announced on Wednesday the government had set aside 3 mln euros to help those most endangered by fires in several areas in the country.

Mali said the government had decided to earmark additional funds from the current budget reserves to aid post-fire recovery.

"Recently, our country was hit by catastrophic fires that engulfed entire villages, especially in southern Serbia, destroying homes, estates and everything people had been building for decades," Mali said in an official statement.

"The Government of the Republic of Serbia reacted immediately - at today's session, we made a decision to urgently set aside 350 mln dinars, or 3 mln euros, to repair the damage, help those the most in danger and rebuild the affected areas," he said.

"We immediately set up a commission on repairing the damage resulting from the fires, which held its first meeting today, and will, among other things, be tasked with gathering information about the damage," Mali added.