cyprus wildfires — cyprus wildfires — The European Commission has allocated €2.3 million from the European Union solidarity fund to help Cyprus recover from the extensive wildfires that ravaged the Limassol and Paphos districts in July.
- Von der Leyen's proposal was welcomed by President Nikos Christodoulides, who described it as “momentous” and “hugely important” for the future of firefighting efforts in the region.
Announced by the commission’s executive vice-president for cohesion and reforms, Raffaele Fitto, the funding aims to support emergency operations, infrastructure, housing, and restoration efforts across the affected areas. The dual wildfires broke out simultaneously, resulting in the tragic loss of two lives, the burning of 124 square kilometres, and the destruction of over 700 buildings.
Earlier this year, Cypriot members of the European Parliament voiced their concerns regarding the EU’s support in tackling wildfires. Akel’s Giorgos Georgiou expressed his frustration over the insufficient response from the EU, particularly following a speech by European commissioner for crisis management, Hadjia Lahbib. Georgiou’s remarks highlighted the severity of the wildfires across Europe, criticising the EU’s failure to deliver promised resources, including firefighting planes from Spain.
“Cyprus unfortunately holds the lead, in a negative way, for the proportion of its total territory burned in the last decade,” he stated, underlining the urgent need for more robust measures and support.
Elam’s Geadis Geadi echoed similar sentiments, criticising the EU’s joint firefighting and disaster rescue mechanism, rescEU, for its inadequacies in addressing the wildfire crises that have repeatedly struck the region. He proposed improvements to the EU’s response strategy, emphasising the need for a more effective system to combat such natural disasters.
In response to the growing criticism, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced plans for a new European firefighting hub to be based in Cyprus. During her State of the European Union address in September, she acknowledged the devastating impact of climate change, stating, “This summer, we all saw the pictures of Europe’s forests and villages on fire … The scale of the damage is enormous.”
Von der Leyen’s proposal was welcomed by President Nikos Christodoulides, who described it as “momentous” and “hugely important” for the future of firefighting efforts in the region.
The EU solidarity fund, established in 2002, provides financial support for regions affected by disasters, allowing member states to access funding when the estimated cost of a disaster exceeds €3 billion or 0.6 per cent of their gross national income.
