It's a welcome European injection of financial support for Limassol and Paphos communities still reeling from the devastating July fires, with the European Commission clearing a 2.3 million euro advance from the Solidarity Fund to repair significant damage to homes and infrastructure.
The funds release was officially announced by the Commission's Executive Vice President on Regional Policy Raffaele Fitto on X, headlined '2.3 million to support Cyprus from July wildfires'.
As the EU official clarified, the advance will cover crisis operations, infrastructure, housing and restoration.
The European Solidarity Fund is a fundamental financial tool allowing EU institutions to support member states and candidate countries, following natural disasters.
Since its establishment in 2002, it has provided more than 10 billion euro in 144 cases, 124 constituting natural disasters and a further 20 being public health crises across 24 member states, the UK and four candidate countries.
At national level, the government is currently in the process of rebuilding dozens of homes destroyed by the worst wildfire in the island's modern history, scorching more than 100 thousand square kilometres.
SOURCE-CNA