The establishment of a new European firefighting hub is vital for Cyprus, European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, has said.
He was speaking to Cypriot journalists in the margins of the European Parliament Plenary Session, in Strasbourg on 10 September.
He welcomed the announcement by the President of the Commission to establish a new European firefighting hub based in Cyprus, noting that “it could also support our regional neighbours.”
"Inspiring" speech by von der Leyen
"The President of the Commission gave an inspiring speech," he noted, adding that "she outlined a European Commission that wants to face the very difficult geopolitical environment that has developed in recent times" and "wants the European Union to be ready to defend its independence, its principles, its unity, relying mainly on its own forces, but also on partnerships with countries and organisations that have the same perceptions and the same principles as the European Union."
Costas Kadis also said that Ursula von der Leyen mainly referred to the issue of defence, adding that the statement by the President of the Commission that "with investments in defence we want to be ready to defend every inch of European territory" is especially important for Cyprus. The Commissioner also noted von der Leyen's reference to opening new avenues in terms of trade agreements, with an emphasis on innovation, research and competitiveness.
The announcement of a European firefighting hub
At the same time, Kadis noted with particular satisfaction the announcement by the President of the Commission for the creation of a new European firefighting hub based in Cyprus, which "could also support our regional neighbours." "It is something that I consider vital for Cyprus, it shows that the European Union is also present in the region", he added. “It was an issue that the Cypriot Government pursued in a very systematic and organised manner,” he pointed out, saying that it was an initiative that he himself supported “at every opportunity”, whether in the College of Commissioners or in discussions that took place on the issue of combating fires and the need to strengthen the mechanisms for dealing with them.
Costas Kadis explained that Ursula von der Leyen’s specific announcement will be assigned to the relevant Commissioner to implement it, expressing the belief that it will proceed very quickly, because such hubs have been created in other Member States and because the announcement was made in consultation with the Republic of Cyprus.
The European Commissioner recalled that during his ministerial term, an application had been made for the creation of a firefighting hub, which, however, had not been approved.
Noting that Ursula von der Leyen is results-oriented, Costas Kadis expressed his optimism that this project will proceed as soon as possible.
At the same time, he stressed that there is good communication between the European Commission and the Cyprus Government and all these announcements will be promoted through the Cyprus Presidency. “It is something on which I am sure that the European Commission and the Republic of Cyprus will work together,” he added.
The SAFE programme
Another issue from the speech of the President of the Commission, which, according to Costas Kadis, specifically concerns Cyprus, is the EU Preparedness Union strategy with a horizon of 2030.
In this context, the success of the SAFE programme was highlighted, which ensures lending on exceptional terms for defence expenditures with a specific methodology, he noted, adding that Cyprus requested a significant amount in relation to its size. What was preliminarily approved as an indicative amount is within the limit of the request of the Republic of Cyprus, he added. By the end of November, each country should submit an action plan, he added.
The Strategy for Islands
Referring to the Strategy for Islands, which is under the responsibility of the Vice-President of the European Commission, Rafaele Fitto, Costas Kadis said that this is an issue that is relevant to his own responsibilities, noting that “it will be a joint pursuit of the European Commission and the Cypriot Government to move forward”.
He also said that the coordination group includes the Commissioner for Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, the Commissioner for Rural Development, Christophe Hansen and himself. “Together we will work on the development of this strategy that concerns the support of island regions and directly concerns Cyprus”, he underlined.
The Commissioner's Portfolio
Referring to issues related to his own portfolio, Costas Kadis said that he considers very important the references by the President of the European Commission on food issues that include fishery products, such as ensuring healthy competition, ensuring conditions that are favourable to farmers and fishermen, and primarily Ursula von der Leyen's announcement of a program to promote European food. In this context, he expressed his belief that fisheries and aquaculture products in Europe will also be promoted.
Speaking about von der Leyen's reference to the need to maintain the leading role of the European Union in areas such as sustainable ocean management, Kadis pointed out that the European Union recently announced the European Ocean Pact, which was his own initiative, which, as he said, "was welcomed at the global level."
Invasive species in the Mediterranean
Responding to a question, the European Commissioner said that invasive species, such as lionfish and lagocephalus sceleratus, are an issue that concerns the Mediterranean and beyond. “Our waters have become warmer due to climate change and more hospitable to species that inhabited more southern seas, which, through the Suez Canal, pass into the Mediterranean seas and compete with ours or displace them and completely alter the marine ecosystem,” he explained.
“What we need to do is find ways to address the problem holistically and in some cases turn the challenge into an opportunity,” he pointed out, citing as an example the lionfish, which “has started to become a very good snack and is now gaining value in the markets.” He also noted that there is a problem with other fish, which are not edible, such as the lagocephalus, which contains toxic substances. In this case, he said, scientists are trying to find ways to use the lagocephalus toxin for therapeutic purposes.
(Source: CNA)
