Cypriot members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have welcomed the announcement on Wednesday by European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, on the creation of a European Firefighting Hub in Cyprus, which was made in the context of her State of the Union speech, on Wednesday.
European People's Party MEP, Loukas Fourlas, said in a press release that "today's announcement by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the creation of a European Firefighting Base in Cyprus is a particularly positive development for our country."
"From the first moment we experienced the tragic consequences of the fires in mountainous Limassol, I felt the need to convey the voice of the people who saw their place destroyed and to demand substantial support from the European Union," he added.
"I insisted on the creation of a permanent European base of firefighting equipment, expressing the belief that Cyprus, as an island state with particular challenges, is entitled to access European immediate response mechanisms," he stressed.
"I am sincerely glad that our voice was heard and that today we are taking a step closer to a Europe that protects its citizens in practice," he concluded.
European People's Party MEP, Michalis Hadjipantela, said in a press release that "I was particularly pleased to learn of the announcement by Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to create a European firefighting base in Cyprus", a hub for "immediate intervention that strengthens our country's position in the EU and in the Eastern Mediterranean".
Hadjipantela expressed his belief that "the climate crisis requires actions, not words", recalling that he had made a special intervention on this issue in the Plenary Session of the European Parliament calling for a stronger rescEU and permanent European immediate response instruments.
"It is of utmost importance that the EU shows its solidarity with the member states and especially with the countries of the European South that are experiencing the consequences of climate change with drought and high temperatures," he concluded.
Socialist-Democratic MEP, Costas Mavrides, said in a statement that "since each of us in politics is judged by the result, today's announcement by the President of the European Commission to create a new European firefighting base in Cyprus is a very positive development for the Republic of Cyprus and those who have contributed in this direction for years."
"On the one hand, it will contribute to a more effective and timely response to fires in Cyprus and on the other hand, it will upgrade the role of Cyprus in the wider region, since it will function as a support hub not only for the Member States within the EU but also regionally for countries outside the EU, with an emphasis on the Mediterranean," he emphasised.
"The creation of such a base was something that already had the support of the member states of the Union for the Mediterranean, which includes countries inside and outside the EU, when I had proposed it during my term as President of the Political Committee for the Mediterranean (2019-2024)," Mavrides pointed out.
This, as he said, "is also linked to my proposal since then, for the creation of a crisis management center (e.g. for climate change, fires, drought, lack of rain, floods, illegal immigration, geopolitical conflicts, wars, etc.) in the region based in Cyprus, with significant geopolitical and economic benefits, which could evolve and be integrated into the European Defense and Security."
"However, the issue of the fires is very serious and in order not to relive the tragedies we experienced this summer, a holistic approach to the issue is required, beyond today's significant development," he concluded.
The MEP of the Left Group, Giorgos Georgiou, said that "today's statement by the Commission is a response to the request that we have been submitting as AKEL for a decade."
"Since 2016, after the devastating fires in Solia, as AKEL, we had submitted to the Commission a proposal for the creation of a permanent European mechanism to support states in dealing with natural disasters, which would be based in Cyprus and respond to the needs of all states in the region," he noted, adding that "they blatantly ignored us."
"However we continued, and after a decade of persistent efforts and the continuous appeals of AKEL MEPs, who repeatedly submitted the proposal both in 2021 and recently, after the devastating fire in mountainous Limassol, Von der Leyen decided to announce the creation of a Strategic Firefighting Base in Cyprus," Georgiou said.
"In order for the Commission to react, unfortunately, the largest destructive fire in our country had precede tragically resulting in two deaths, hundreds of burned properties and thousands of burned acres of land," he pointed out. "The firestorm proved once again the inadequacy of both the EU and the failure of the Cypriot Government to protect our people and our land", he added.
The Left MEP also emphasised that "the Commission's announcement is positive, but it must be implemented," adding that "we expect to see the projects implemented. We expect investment in social policy, not just in equipment."
"There is an urgent need to move forward with planning, prevention and preparation against natural disasters. At the same time, the Cypriot government must immediately adopt a holistic strategy to protect the land and our fellow citizens," he concluded.