Macedonian Minister of Local Self-Government Zlatko Perinski visited the Municipality of Vrapcishte and the newly built facility intended for the Territorial Fire Station for the municipalities of Vrapcishte and Bogovinje, as part of the “Cross-border fire protection – Fireshield” project, funded by the EU program for cross-border cooperation between Macedonia and Albania, whose holders are the two Macedonian municipalities, the Albanian Municipality of Cherik and the NGO Caritas south of Albania.
“Now, when wildfires are spreading in several locations in the country, there is no doubt that the project will essentially work to protect the region in every way. At the same time, we could already put these firefighting facilities into operation for extinguishing fires where there is a need for logistical support. In this particular case, the safety of over 65,000 local residents, their properties, as well as 8,000 hectares of mountainous terrain and forest belt in the cross-border region will be guaranteed,” noted Perinski, and expressed satisfaction that except for the primary purpose of the Territorial Fire Station for the municipalities Vrapcishte and Bogovinje, the project is also of great importance for the Shar Planina National Park, which borders the two municipalities.
The value of the entire project is almost 860,000 euros. The municipalities of Vrapcishte and Bogovinje participate with 545,000 euros, the Ministry helps the project with 81,750 euros, and the rest of the funds are provided through the EU Program for cross-border cooperation between Macedonia and Albania.
