Niki Laou - Strasbourg
The fight against wildfires and the need for stronger European Union action were at the heart of today’s plenary debate in the European Parliament, with sharp interventions from Cypriot MEPs.
“Austerity policies are destructive”
MEP George Georgiou (The Left - GUE/NGL) stressed that the wildfires which devastated Europe this year once again proved the tragic consequences of austerity policies. He noted that Cyprus “holds the negative record of the decade”, suffering the largest destruction in proportion to its territory, with 104 square kilometres burned.
“The tragic outcome was two deaths, hundreds of properties destroyed and thousands of hectares of land reduced to ashes,” he said, placing “enormous responsibility” on the Cypriot government. He criticised the fact that no ministers resigned and denounced the EU’s repeated disregard of the Left’s calls since 2016 for the creation of a European firefighting base.
He also attacked the rescEU mechanism, which he argued “recycles inadequate resources”, urging the EU to divert funds away from military spending towards protecting people and the environment.
“We don’t need sympathy, we need action”
MEP Michalis Hadjipantela (European People’s Party - EPP) underlined that Cyprus pays a heavy price for climate change, just like other southern countries struck by extreme temperatures. He referred specifically to the deadly wildfire in the Limassol mountains last July, which claimed two lives and destroyed more than 120 square kilometres of land, homes, property and crops.
Addressing the European Commission, he said: “We don’t need sympathy. We need action. The Union must invest in prevention and preparedness by strengthening the rescEU mechanism.”
He called for the permanent stationing of EU aerial and ground assets in strategic locations to ensure immediate response, stressing that “no member state should be left helpless”. He warned that if similar disasters occur again without a response plan, “the responsibility will rest personally with the Commission”.
“A European firefighting force and better coordination”
In his intervention, MEP Geadis Geadi (European Conservatives and Reformists - ECR) reminded colleagues that he had already warned before the summer about the danger facing Europe. He argued that the solution lies in creating a European firefighting force and developing programmes for better coordination of volunteers.
He congratulated those who supported aid efforts and thanked the Israeli and Italian governments for their assistance, but pointed to “significant gaps in the implementation of the mechanism” - gaps which, he said, prompted his call for more funding and support.
“Cyprus is far away and help arrives too late”
Focusing on Cyprus’s geographical isolation, independent MEP Feidias Panayiotou noted that “Cyprus is very far from continental Europe, and help takes too long to arrive”. He stressed that during this summer’s crisis, the country received timelier assistance from neighbouring states than from the EU itself.
He called for greater investment in prevention through the EU Solidarity Fund and the rescEU mechanism, saying: “You were not present during a difficult time for Cyprus. We need more.”
The Strasbourg debate comes amid growing concerns over the scale and frequency of wildfires across southern Europe, with MEPs calling for urgent, coordinated EU action to prevent new tragedies.
