FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE – Calls are mounting for a permanent EU firefighting force to be stationed in Cyprus, following devastating wildfires that scorched vast swathes of the island and exposed delays in response time.
Three Cypriot MEPs — Loucas Fourlas, Costas Mavrides and George Georgiou — submitted formal requests to EU institutions, urging the creation of a dedicated base under the Union’s civil protection mechanism.
“Cyprus should not be left wondering when — or if — planes will arrive,” Fourlas said, stressing that the island’s isolation often leads to dangerous delays. “A permanent station here could also protect the wider Eastern Mediterranean.”
Meanwhile, mechanical engineer and researcher Petros Kronis pitched a local solution on national radio — rainwater harvesting systems installed around villages to act as instant firefighting reservoirs. “Response must be local, fast and automatic,” he said.
Local authorities say basic fire prevention is being neglected. Koyilani village head Kyriakos Chatzicharalambous warned that only 32km of the area’s 110km of dirt roads are being cleared. “That’s not good enough,” he said. “We can’t fight wildfires with blocked roads.”