MEP Michalis Hadjipantela has raised alarm over the prolonged drought crisis in Cyprus, where reservoir levels have plummeted to 25 per cent capacity.
Hadjipantela highlighted several EU funding opportunities available to Cyprus, including the Cohesion Fund, European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), and Just Transition Fund (JTF), which could help finance crucial water infrastructure projects.
The MEP revealed discussions at the European level regarding the potential utilisation of the sewage treatment plant in occupied Mia Milia. The facility could serve both sides of the divide for irrigation purposes, with the European Commission reportedly viewing the project favourably, though implementation would require action from the Cypriot government.
In a letter dated 2 October 2024 to Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou, Hadjipantela expressed concern over significant delays in implementing three planned desalination projects. He criticised the government’s failure to secure EU co-funding for these projects, noting that such funding could have generated savings for other public benefit projects.
Hadjipantela said that the combination of planned desalination works and the Mia Milia project could provide a permanent solution to Cyprus’s water scarcity issues.
He offered his parliamentary support to help resolve the crisis through cooperation with the Cypriot government.
The MEP also noted that member states have the opportunity to revise their Recovery and Resilience Plan projects or replace them with new high-priority initiatives in response to changing circumstances.
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