The European Parliament on Tuesday approved the allocation of over €9 million from the European Union solidarity fund for Cyprus to help rebuild infrastructure destroyed by the wildfire which tore through the Limassol district and killed two people last year.

A total of 642 MEPs voted in favour of the funds’ allocation, with 13 votes against and one abstention. All six Cypriot MEPs voted in favour, with Cyprus now set to receive €9.21m.

Following the vote’s passage, the parliament said that Cyprus had already received an advance payment of €2.3m to “assist [its] recovery effort”, and that now, “EU support will help finance emergency response measures”.

This, it said, will include “the restoration of essential infrastructure and public services, the clean-up of disaster-affected areas, and the provision of temporary accommodation, rescue services and other urgent recovery measures”.

It added 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.

As well as the funds for Cyprus, the parliament approved as part of the same package a total of €120.55m in funding for Spain in the aftermath of “several major wildfire outbreaks” last year, as well as €14.34m for Romania after severe flooding in May and June last year.

Like Cyprus, Spain had also received an advance payment, totalling €30m.