The European Council adopted an assistance measure under the European Peace Facility (EPF) worth 6 million euros for the Balkan Medical Task Force (BMTF) to support capacity building by procuring equipment and materiel for the medical units of the Armed Forces of participating countries - Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia.

“In this context, the objective of the measure is to strengthen military medical capabilities of the region and civilian relief efforts, and ultimately contribute to regional cooperation and cohesion,” a statement by the European Council says.

It says that, in order to achieve its objective, the assistance measure will finance “mobility assets, components for field hospitals at ‘role 2’ standards, laboratory equipment and supplies, and IT and communication equipment.”

This kind of assistance was requested on behalf of the BMTF by the Republic of North Macedonia in April 2022.