Cyprus on Tuesday moved a step closer to being able to access over €9 million from the European Union solidarity fund to help rebuild infrastructure destroyed by the wildfire which tore through the Limassol district and killed two people last year, after the European Parliament’s budgets committee (Budg) unanimously approved funds’ disbursement.

The committee approved the allocation of €144.1m worth of funds to help three EU member states rebuild their infrastructure in the aftermath of natural disasters last year, with Spain set to receive the lion’s share – €120.55m – in the aftermath of “several major wildfire outbreaks” last year.

On this matter, the committee said that “the most destructive fires” broke out in August last year, “forcing mass evacuations and causing the death of eight people”.

Romania, meanwhile, was allocated €14.34m in the aftermath of severe flooding in May and June last year, with the committee pointing out that critical infrastructure, including the Praid salt mine, was extensively damaged as a result, while “widespread power outages” were also recorded.

For Cyprus, the committee approved €9.21m of funds, saying that “thousands” of people were displaced as a result of last summer’s wildfire, and that more than 900 private properties were destroyed, while “education and healthcare services” were also disrupted.

With the committee having unanimously approved the funds, the matter will now be voted upon by a plenary session of the European Parliament, with the vote expected to take place next month.

The committee’s approval of the funds comes after the EU’s member states had on Monday approved €4.6m worth of funding from the European Commission’s agricultural reserve to support farmers in Cyprus who were impacted by last summer’s wildfires and drought.

“Cyprusexperienced prolonged drought and extreme heat from May [last year], leading to major losses in crop production, as well as higher livestock feed costs,” the commission said.

People and businesses in Cyprus which farm citrus fruits, bananas, figs, pomegranates, prickly pears, olive oil and olives, cereals, fodder crops, bees, and livestock, as well as vineyards will be eligible for the funds.

In addition to Cyprus, the member states also approved €30m of funds for Portugal, €14.8m for Romania, €4.4m for Croatia, and €2.8m for Slovenia for “farmers affected by significant damage from adverse climatic events”.

The national governments of all involved member states, including Cyprus, will be able to complement the disbursement with an extra 200 per cent of the allocated amount, with the Cypriot government thus authorised to allocate €18.42m worth of funds to Cypriot farmers through this mechanism.

Firstly, however, the Cypriot government and all other involved national governments will be expected to notify the commission regarding the details of how they plan to spend the money, with the commission saying that this must happen “without delay”.

Those details, it said, should include “criteria used to determine the granting of individual aid, the intended impact of the measure, the forecasts for payments broken down per month, and the level of additional support to be provided”.

European Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen said that the funding – which amounts to €56m for the five countries – “demonstrates our solidarity with the farmers and the regions most affected”.

“Climate shocks are becoming the new reality for agriculture. Safeguarding Europe’s food security means investing in the resilience of our agriculture,” he said.