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Cyprus Set To Receive €9.21 Million In EU Solidarity Funding After 2025 Wildfires

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

June 25, 2026

A committee of the European Parliament has approved €9.21 million in assistance for Cyprus from the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to help address the aftermath of the 2025 wildfires.

Brussels Mobilizes €144.1 Million For Three Member States

Members of the European Parliament’s Budget Committee (BUDG) backed the mobilization of a total of €144.1 million from the EU Solidarity Fund for Cyprus, Romania and Spain following major natural disasters in 2025.

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Under the proposal, Cyprus is set to receive €9.21 million for wildfire-related damage, while Romania would receive €14.34 million for flooding and Spain €120.55 million for wildfires.

Unanimous Committee Support

Support for the proposal was unanimous, with 31 votes in favour and no votes against or abstentions.

Earlier assistance had already been provided through advance payments, including €2.3 million for Cyprus and €30 million for Spain to address immediate recovery needs. Final allocations were calculated by the European Commission based on the reported scale of damage and the fund’s eligibility criteria.

Cyprus Bears The Heavy Cost Of July Fires

Two major wildfires that broke out in Cyprus in July 2025 affected areas in the districts of Limassol and Paphos, according to the European Parliament. Loss of life, displacement of residents and extensive property damage were among the consequences of the fires, which destroyed nearly 900 private properties and disrupted education and health services in affected communities.

Elsewhere, Romania’s allocation relates to severe flooding that occurred in May and June 2025, including damage linked to the Praid salt mine. Funding for Spain is tied to large-scale wildfires driven by prolonged drought and extreme temperatures that forced thousands of people to evacuate.

Lawmakers Call For More Prevention And Resilience

Alongside the funding approval, MEPs highlighted the growing frequency of major natural disasters across Europe and called for greater investment in prevention, preparedness and climate adaptation measures.

According to the draft report, strengthening resilience could help reduce both the human and economic impact of future disasters. Approval by the European Parliament plenary and the Council of the European Union is still required before the funding can be disbursed. A plenary vote is expected in July, after which the approved assistance would be released in a single payment.

A Fund Built For Crisis Response

Since its creation in 2002, the EU Solidarity Fund has allocated more than €10 billion in support following 147 disaster events across EU member states and candidate countries.

Polish MEP Bogdan Rzońca of the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) serves as rapporteur for the report, while DISY MEP Michalis Hadjipantela is the European People’s Party’s shadow rapporteur.

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Only 1% Of Cyprus Farms Use Precision Farming Technologies

Cyprus remains one of the European Union’s least digitised agricultural economies, with just 1% of farms using precision farming technologies in 2023, according to Eurostat.

The findings come as the EU continues to encourage the adoption of digital tools aimed at improving agricultural productivity, efficiency and sustainability.

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Internet Access Expands, But Digital Uptake Lags

Internet access has improved across the bloc, although adoption remains uneven. Eurostat found that 43% of EU farms had internet access in 2023, with northern and central European countries leading the way.

Denmark, Germany, Slovakia, Latvia, the Czech Republic and Austria all reported internet access rates above 90%.

Greater connectivity, however, has not translated into widespread digital adoption. Farm management information systems, which help farmers manage day-to-day operations, were used by only about 11% of EU farms. France was a notable exception, with around 60% of farms using the technology.

Precision Farming Concentrated In Larger Operations

Robotics adoption also remained relatively limited, with only about 7% of EU farms using robotic technologies. Overall, around 18% of farms with utilised agricultural area employed at least one precision farming technology or practice in 2023.

These included robotics for plant protection, band spraying, variable-rate application, precision crop monitoring and soil analysis. Despite representing fewer than one in five farms, these holdings accounted for around 44% of the EU’s utilised agricultural area.

The figures suggest that precision farming remains concentrated among larger agricultural businesses, where investment in digital technologies is typically easier to support.

Cyprus Lags Behind EU Leaders

Luxembourg, Finland and Estonia recorded the highest shares of utilised agricultural area managed by farms using precision farming technologies, each exceeding 75%.

At the other end of the ranking, Cyprus recorded just 1%, while Greece and Romania reported between 10% and 15%. The results indicate that Cyprus remains at an early stage of digital adoption in agriculture, even as precision farming becomes more widespread across parts of the European Union.