Clean greetings to North Macedonia
The City of Vienna is sending another signal of international solidarity and practical neighborly assistance to the Balkans. As part of its humanitarian aid efforts, the City of Vienna has handed over a decommissioned but technically fully functional garbage truck to representatives of the North Macedonian municipality of Debrca. The vehicle was in intensive use in Vienna's municipal services until recently and has now been replaced.
The Municipal Department 48 - Waste Management, Street Cleaning and Vehicle Fleet regularly replaces vehicles to ensure efficient and low-emission waste disposal in Vienna. Vehicles that are no longer suitable according to Viennese standards can still be used for many years by other municipalities abroad. This form of technical assistance contributes to the circular economy and conserves resources.
For the municipality of Debrca, this vehicle represents a significant technological advancement. The garbage truck will ensure professional waste collection there in the future, thus making a direct contribution to local environmental protection and improving the quality of life.
Investment in Infrastructure
Debrca is located north of Lake Ohrid in western North Macedonia. The municipality comprises 30 villages and, according to the 2021 census, has approximately 3,700 inhabitants. Since municipalities in North Macedonia lack sufficient budget funds for local investments, the donated vehicle represents a sustainable improvement to the infrastructure.
As an emerging economy, North Macedonia faces challenges such as high unemployment, a sometimes weak infrastructure, high foreign debt, and the emigration of skilled workers. The country is undergoing a profound economic and political transformation and has been a candidate for European Union membership since 2005. One aim of such cooperation is to support the European integration process in the country.
Aid for Ukrainian Hospitals
In the first half of 2025, the City of Vienna consistently continued its targeted support of hospitals in Ukraine. Six trucks brought 30 tons of relief supplies, such as hospital beds, examination tables, and medical equipment, to the crisis area. Due to the security situation, only destinations in the western half of Ukraine can be reached. Accordingly, hospitals in the cities of Irpin, Kyiv, Rivne, and Podilsk/Odessa were supplied.
Medical care for the population is extremely precarious due to the war and destruction. There is a particular shortage of hospital beds and all types of equipment on site. Many hospitals and field hospitals have already had their capacity expanded with supplies delivered in recent years.
"As the City of Vienna, we have stood in solidarity with the Ukrainian people since the beginning of the war and have been supporting them with relief supplies since day one. It is particularly important to me that the long-standing aid deliveries to Ukraine are carried out consistently and continuously", emphasized Mayor Michael Ludwig at the meeting with Olena Zelenska, the wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in Vienna.
No garbage!
A garbage collection vehicle that was decommissioned in Vienna will in future contribute to improved supply security in the Republic of North Macedonia. As part of the City of Vienna's humanitarian aid program, a special truck from the City of Vienna's inventory was donated to the municipality of Berovo in April 2025. The municipality is located in the east of the Republic of North Macedonia, just 15 kilometres from the border with Bulgaria. The town, located at an altitude of approximately 900 metres above sea level, is known for its traditional woodworking.
North Macedonia has a population of around 2 million and is a European developing country. Especially in rural areas, it is characterized by severe poverty, emigration, and chronic underfunding of public facilities. Accordingly, the municipality of Berovo also has no budget to purchase new garbage collection vehicles. This negatively impacts the quality of life of the population.
The vehicle now provided can accommodate approximately 12 tons of garbage and transport it for proper disposal. It will therefore continue to make an important contribution to municipal waste disposal for the 7,000 people living in Berovo for many years to come.
70th Truck with Relief Supplies for Ukraine
Vasyl Khymynets (Ukrainian Ambassador), Evelyn Kölldorfer-Leitgeb (WIGEV), Mayor Michael Ludwig and Bernhard Bouzek (MA 27)
On October 24, 2024, the 70th truck with relief supplies from the City of Vienna for Ukraine was loaded at the Favoriten Hospital. Mayor Michael Ludwig, along with Ukrainian Ambassador Vasyl Khymynets and the General Director of the Vienna Health Association, Evelyn Kölldorfer-Leitgeb, welcomed the relief shipment. The truck brought 40 hospital beds and 71 mattresses to the hospital in Podilsk in the Odessa region. The hospital most recently received medical equipment, surgical instruments, and linen with a total weight of 5.2 tons from Vienna at the end of June 2024.
During a media briefing, Mayor Ludwig presented a successful report: Since the outbreak of war on February 24, 2022, a total of 425 tons of relief supplies have been brought to Ukraine using 70 semi-trailer trucks. Humanitarian aid deliveries are organized by the Municipal Department 27 itself using scrapped goods from the Vienna Health Association and transported to their destinations by semi-trailer truck. The current focus is on bringing scrapped hospital beds and medical equipment to equip clinics in Ukraine, in close cooperation with the Austrian Embassy in Kyiv.
Due to the hostilities, medical care for the population is extremely precarious. Many hospitals and emergency field hospitals have already been equipped with the goods delivered in recent years. In 2024 alone, 780 hospital beds were brought to Ukraine to expand treatment capacity. This year, deliveries primarily went to hospitals in the Kyiv, Odessa, and Lviv areas.