Cyprus President, Nikos Christodoulides, expressed on Wednesday his satisfaction with the progress of the implementation of what the government announced in relation to those affected by last month’s wildfires in the Limassol district.
Addressing the members of the Council of Ministers at the start of their weekly meeting, he said he wanted to discuss the implementation of what the government has announced following the fires.
“I am satisfied with what I see so far regarding the implementation of our decisions. The big challenge is that they are implemented in their entirety”, he said.
Starting with the Ministry of the Interior, he described as important the fact that, already, the lump sum announced for people whose residence was destroyed or damaged was being paid.
So far, he said, 236 out of the 295 cases have received the amount, noting that it was important, by the end of the week, to compensate everyone affected.
He also said that teams of the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (ΕΤΕΚ) have already completed the cost estimates for approximately 300 damaged buildings. Upon completion of the inspections, he added, the first groups of people affected – which concern primary residences that require repair – will receive money.
He added that at the same time it is important to quickly restore homes and businesses and for people to return to their daily lives. “It will take some time,” he noted, however.
Regarding the Ministry of Commerce, the President said that two measures are being implemented to support businesses and compensate for raw materials, goods, and replace equipment.
He added that it is important that compensation has begun for businesses and the self-employed. Noting that the electricity authority (EAC) “did a very good job”, he said, that power is back on in almost 92% of the affected areas, while the remainder concerns remote premises.
He also described as “important” the decision to cover electricity bills by up to €500 for all home and business customers whose homes and businesses were affected.
Regarding the Ministry of Agriculture and the scheme to immediately compensate and support farmers and livestock breeders for one year for loss of income, President Christodoulides said that payments have begun, calling for a faster pace. “I understand that so far, we have compensated more than 775 people. It is important to complete this by next week,” he noted.
He added that 470 applications were received for the schemes announced on August 2, which concern farmers’ reactivation, the restoration of infrastructure and replacement of equipment.
The President also referred to the importance to start the implementation of flood protection projects. “The areas where interventions need to be made have been identified, so it should be done immediately,” he said.
Regarding the Ministry of Labour, President Christodoulides said it was important that the data has been collected for the support scheme for workers who are unable to work due to the damage caused to their workplaces, adding that so far, more than 100 workers have responded, with the process continuing.
As regards the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare, he said that competent services were in contact with 222 families, and for 115 of them it was deemed necessary to receive financial assistance to cover emergency needs. “Social support will continue, it is particularly important”, he added.
Regarding the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, he said that it is important to complete the announced scheme for one-time financial aid in relation to accommodation.
According to President Christodoulides, the Ministry of Transport was to submit on Wednesday a proposal for the vehicles and machinery that were destroyed in the fire.
He added that at the same time, he received the reports of the four competent services on Friday, as regards the way each handled the situation during the wildfires and that they mention some suggestions and recommendations.
In his statements after the Cabinet meeting, Transport Minister Alexis Vafeades said that the Council of Ministers approved the proposal of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works to grant financial assistance to owners of vehicles and machinery that suffered damage from the devastating fire on July 23.
He noted that the Department of Electrical and Mechanical Services recorded damage to 68 vehicles and 126 machines or equipment, with preliminary estimates of the damage amounting to approximately €655,000.
According to Vafeades, the deadline for submitting damage claims has been set for August 17, but if it is found that there is still room and need for further extension of the deadline, it will be granted.
On his part, Deputy Minister of Tourismm Kostas Koumis, said that the Council of Ministers decided to provide financial support to self-catering accommodations registered in the Register of Self-Catering Accommodation of the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, situated within the boundaries of communities where damage to property has been identified on the basis of records made by the competent authorities.
As he explained, a one-off de minimis aid will be paid, amounting to 40% of the turnover for the period from January 1, 2023, until December 31, 2023, to all registered self-catering accommodations operating in the areas in question.
Asked about the number of premises covered by the support and the amount of assistance, the Deputy Minister said that the aid concerns essentially about 66 accommodations, adding that according to an initial estimate, the total amount for the measure is expected to be around €200,000.
Moreover, in a post on X, Interior Minister, Constantinos Ioannou, said that 236 of the 295 aid beneficiaries have been approved and/or received the lump sum to cover their immediate basic needs, while by the end of the week, the payment of the lump sum assistance to all beneficiaries will be completed.
He added that the list of equipment costs per household has been finalised, and will be provided together with the compensation for the full restoration of the damage, while ETEK teams have completed the cost estimate for 300 buildings that have been partially destroyed, which, he notes, account for almost 50% of the damaged properties.
He also noted that according to estimations, the first owners of homes in need of repair will be invited to sign and receive the compensation amount so that they can proceed with the restoration work as soon as possible.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Ministry of Agriculture said in a press release that immediate financial aid amounting to €2,299,147 was granted by the Ministry on August 5 to 775 farmers and livestock breeders who were affected by the devastating fires in Limassol.
Specifically, according to the press release, payments are expected to be completed by August 12 for those affected who submit the necessary supporting documents.
A total of 469 applications have been received and, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, after the applications have been evaluated, an advance payment of up to 30% will be made. Payments will also be made at regular intervals and in line with the progress of the restoration work, it is noted.
In addition to the above, the Ministry continued, on August 2, both plans for the reactivation, restoration of infrastructure, and mechanical equipment were announced, with a deadline for submitting damage claims on August 22, 2025.
