(Commonwealth_Europe) A senior official from the European Commission has urged Cyprus to significantly enhance its participation in wildfire prevention initiatives, emphasizing the mounting dangers posed by climate change and the increasing intensity of summer heatwaves across the Mediterranean region. During a televised briefing on Wednesday, Zacharias Yiakoumis, who serves at the Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations, expressed concern that while Cyprus has played an important and active role in responding to emergencies, it has not kept pace in taking preventive action against wildfires.
Yiakoumis pointed out that although Cyprus has demonstrated commendable dedication during crises, it is currently not involved in any of the twelve European Union-funded wildfire prevention projects. This absence, he indicated, represents a missed opportunity for the country to strengthen its preparedness and reduce the frequency and scale of destructive wildfires. Encouraging proactive engagement, he called on the Cypriot authorities to explore and utilize the wide array of programs and financial support mechanisms available through the EU to bolster national prevention capacities.
The scale of the wildfire threat remains substantial and persistent across Europe. Cyprus, despite its relatively small size, has suffered significant damage recently. In 2024 alone, over 3,000 hectares of land were burned by 13 major wildfires, each consuming more than 30 hectares. While this year marked an increase from 2023, which saw 2,000 hectares lost, the worst in recent memory remains the devastating fire season of 2021, when approximately 6,000 hectares were destroyed. These figures reflect a worrying trend and underline the urgency for more robust preventive action.
Since 2014, Cyprus has invoked the EU Civil Protection Mechanism nine times, primarily in response to wildfire emergencies. At the same time, the country has also shown solidarity with its European partners, offering assistance to other nations on 19 separate occasions. Yiakoumis acknowledged Cyprus’s dual role as both a beneficiary and a contributor within the EU’s broader civil protection framework. Nonetheless, he emphasized that response alone is not enough in the face of escalating climate risks and that prevention must be given equal, if not greater, priority.
Looking ahead, the senior EU official warned that the summer of 2025 could be particularly perilous, with heightened fire risks expected not just in the Mediterranean but increasingly in central Europe as well. He pointed to Portugal as having endured the most extensive fire-related damage in the past year but stressed that the geographical distribution of wildfires is shifting. Once confined mostly to southern Europe, wildfires are now emerging as a significant threat in central and even northern regions, a pattern he attributed to broader climate change impacts.
In response to the expanding threat of wildfires, the European Union is reinforcing its collective firefighting capabilities through both the Civil Protection Mechanism and the RescEU program. For the 2025 fire season, a fleet of 26 firefighting aircraft will be pre-positioned and on standby across nine member states—France, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Spain, Portugal, Sweden, the Czech Republic, and Cyprus. These resources will be operational primarily from June 15 to October 31, a period traditionally marked by the highest wildfire activity. The EU will finance transport and cover up to 75 percent of the operational expenses associated with deploying these aircraft, ensuring that member states can access them swiftly and affordably during emergencies.
Further expanding this shared capability, the EU plans to introduce 12 new Canadair firefighting planes and five helicopters into its permanent RescEU fleet between 2026 and 2028. The EU will strategically station these additional aircraft in countries frequently affected by wildfires, such as Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Croatia, and Greece. This investment represents a major step forward in creating a more resilient, coordinated European approach to wildfire management.
Yiakoumis’s remarks serve as both a commendation of Cyprus’s contributions during emergencies and a clear call for the country to take a more proactive stance on wildfire prevention. As the Mediterranean faces yet another potentially severe summer, the importance of early action, strategic planning, and international cooperation cannot be overstated.
