April 6 (SeeNews) - The European Union has signed an agreement with Montenegro to provide immediate support worth 3 million euro in the fight against the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) through deliveries of medical equipment, the EU delegation to the country has said.
This comes on top 4 million euro in aid to Montenegro's health sector which the EU has already extended, the EU delegation in Podgorica said in a statement on Friday.
In addition, the EU plans to provide a further 8.4 million euro ($9.1 million) in assistance to Montenegro's health system next year, the delegation said.
The medical equipment deliveries under the 3 million euro immediate support package will include 50,000 surgical masks and 35,000 masks for personal use, 80,000 gloves, 100 medical respirators, 10 digital X-ray machines and 50,000 other items of protective equipment, such as lab kits, glasses, medical gowns and hazmat suits.
"All this support provided by the European Union is a common contribution of all EU Member States and an expression of the solidarity of European citizens," the EU delegation said.
Last month, the EU ambassador to Montenegro, Aivo Orav, said the bloc is designing a 50 million euro programme to support Montenegro in coping with the impact of the coronavirus crisis. The programme will be prepared in cooperation with the Montenegrin government and will support mostly the health sector, the economy and businesses, he noted.
Montenegro has so far confirmed 223 COVID-19 cases, including one death. The country has closed its borders to foreign nationals to prevent the spread of the disease on its territory.
($ = 0.924742 euro)