< p>The Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Christos Stylianidis, was hosted at the University of Cyprus, who developed the topic “Civil Protection in Europe, the importance of rescEU and cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean”. Mr. Stylianidis, after thanking the Rector and those who contributed to the success of the event, pointed out that his speech provides information about the civil protection system in Europe and the issues of climate change, through his personal experiences.
The event was welcomed by the Rector of the University of Cyprus, Professor Tassos Christofidis, who praised the work of Mr. Stylianides, stressing that from the positions and positions he held, he undertook important initiatives to address the effects of climate change. He also added that he is considered the architect of the great rescEU initiative, with which the European Civil Protection System was essentially upgraded. At the same time, Mr. Christofidis mentioned that Mr. Stylianidis is an important asset not only for Cyprus, but also for Greece itself.
ANAGAIOS THE rescEU MECHANISM
During his speech, the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection of the Hellenic Republic referred to the European mechanism of civil protection in Europe, which began to be structured around 2005, since then the need appeared mainly after fire phenomena in southern Europe . When he took over as European Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management in 2014, he said, he realized that the European mechanism had very limited capacity to intervene at a collective level and did not reflect European solidarity in practice. "After the deadly fires in Portugal in October 2017, there was a great awareness for action, thus starting the great effort to upgrade the European mechanism with rescEu, according to which a European fleet had to be built, where automatic fire-fighting planes (Canada -airs) could be found in the European business center from various European countries, thus proving European solidarity in practice.
Mr. Stylianides underlined at the same time that there is a constant battle to increase funds so that Europe can deal with natural disasters, not only at the national level, but also at the European level. "No country can face it alone no matter how big and strong it is. As far as Cyprus is concerned, the European mechanism and rescEu is necessary, as it determines the strategic concept of disaster management through civil protection mechanisms.
For regional cooperation in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection, the Minister noted that a great effort has been launched to build European cooperation, including countries that are not member states (Israel, Jordan, Egypt) within the framework of the European umbrella , Lebanon). Mr. Stylianides pointed out that last summer up to eight million acres of land were burned in European countries (Germany, Spain, France, Portugal). "For the first time, rescEu was activated by two countries that had never used it before, Germany and France".
GREECE – CYPRUS AGREEMENT
In addition, the Minister praised Greece's contribution to extinguishing the fires in France with two aircraft carriers, stressing that the country participates in European solidarity. "Regional cooperation will help in the Eastern Mediterranean, which based on scientific data is considered a critical point, as there will be a tremendous worsening of climate change in the next 20 to 30 years. If we do not move together collectively, with the coverage of the European mechanism and rescEu, the consequences will be terrifying. With coordinated actions, Greece will be the European hub because it has the ability, the fleet required and the great experience in natural disasters. Cyprus can join this direction together with Greece and coordinate as a central point to be able to respond to the regional needs of other states as well. In the coming months, an agreement will be signed between the fire brigades of Greece and Cyprus, which will be the driving force for this regional importance.
Referring to the geopolitical developments and the war in Ukraine, Mr. Stylianides said that the war has created major implications for how we think about and manage the issues of climate crisis, climate change and energy. He did not fail to mention the Research Center of Excellence "KOIOS" of the University of Cyprus, noting that he feels particularly proud of what he has achieved, of the programs he has secured, but also of the human resources he has. He also underlined that this reflects the great battle of Europe, since through the scientists and their efforts they are building collective structures to deal collectively with the challenge of natural disasters that is reflected every day through the climate crisis.
event was held on January 19, 2023 in the packed hall of the University of Cyprus, in the presence of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Justice and Public Order, current and former Ministers and Members of Parliament, the Rector's Authorities, the former Attorney General, Representative of the Chief of Police, as well as the current and former President and members of the Council of the University of Cyprus. Also present were Heads of Services, the Commander and members of the Civil Defense, Fire Service and Volunteer Corps, academics and students, a crowd of people and appreciators of the work of Mr. Christos Stylianidis, who hurried to listen to him.
