MEPs Call for Permanent European Firefighting Force in Cyprus

MEPs Loukas Fourlas, Costas Mavrides, and Giorgos Georgiou have submitted a request for the permanent establishment of a European firefighting force in Cyprus. In separate questions to the EU institutions, they are raising the issue of creating a base for a European firefighting force on the island, within the framework of the civil protection mechanism.

Loukas Fourlas emphasized that Cyprus should not depend on the arrival of aircraft from other European countries in case of fires, due to the delays observed. He proposed the permanent stationing of such a force in Cyprus, which could also cover the wider Eastern Mediterranean region.

Furthermore, Mechanical Engineer and Researcher, Petros Kronis, suggested the installation of rainwater harvesting systems around communities for immediate response to fire suppression. The community leader of Koilani, Kyriakos Hatzicharalambous, stressed the need to clean dirt roads for fire prevention.

Source: RIK Radio/Andreas Pafitis