Filenews 5 September 2025 - by Angelos Nikolaou
The Council of Ministers approved the proposal of the Minister of the Interior for the granting of funding of €2.1 million to Community Clusters throughout Cyprus, in order to implement urgent works for the cleaning of abandoned agricultural land and areas around the Communities, in the context of strengthening fire protection measures.
The decision was taken during the meeting of the Council of Ministers last Wednesday, following a relevant recommendation by the Minister of the Interior, following the large fires that occurred in the semi-mountainous city of Limassol last July.
According to an official announcement, the €2.07 million fund will cover clean-ups and other necessary works within a radius of up to 200 meters around the residential areas of the Communities, with the aim of preventing the spread of fires. The works include cleaning or cultivation of abandoned land, deforestation and pruning, depending on the needs of each area.
The process began with instructions given by the Ministry of the Interior to the Districts, who, in cooperation with the Community Councils, submitted tables with the necessary interventions and estimated costs per Community. The relevant lists and distribution tables by District are attached to the relevant proposal of the Ministry.
It is noted that Communities that fall under the National Strategy for the Development of Mountain Communities (ESAOK) and are adjacent to forests, which have already been granted an amount of €1 million for similar actions, based on a decision of the Council of Ministers in April 2025, are excluded from this sponsorship.
The proposal also includes an authorisation to the Minister of the Interior to allocate the relevant appropriations and publication of the decision, in accordance with the procedures laid down.
The initiative is part of a broader network of preventive measures, as the summer season is still characterized by a high risk of fires, due to the extreme weather conditions that prevail.
