The contribution of Cyprus to the EU renewable energy target “so far is significantly below the one resulting from EU legislation”, Commissioner on Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, Virginijus Sinkevicius has told CNA. He underlined however that the country has taken ‘significant steps’ towards implementing green reforms and investments, and added that ‘there is untapped potential of renewable energy in the country’ and that the updated national Recovery and Resilience Plan us an important tool in accelerating its use.
In an interview with Cyprus News Agency ahead of his visit to the country on Monday the Commissioner also referred to the decision by the European Commission to refer Cyprus to the Court of Justice over its application of directives on Natura 2000 areas, as well as the open infringement procedures on development projects in these areas, and stressed that ‘areas of conservation will not work unless there are appropriate measures applied’, pointing out however that environmental protection and
development of tourism should not be contradictory goals.
He also spoke extensively about the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy and how the fishing sector can adapt to meet environmental challenges while also ensuring the livelihood of professionals in the sector.
Sinkevicius also referred to the role that the EU plays in supporting bi-communal cooperation on the environment in Cyprus, through technical support and funding, as well as through projects with an environmental footprint that benefit both sides.
The Commissioner also responded to questions on preventing increased wildfires due to climate change, as well as on reforestation policies, air pollution and ways to deal with the increase of dust storms in Cyprus.
Renewable energy sources
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Commenting on the upcoming completion of the Cypriot integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (NEPC), Sinkevicius recalled the Commission has published its assessment of the draft updated National Energy and Climate Plans (NECPs), and that member states mu
st submit their final plans by June 2024.
Asked how he assesses the development of renewables in Cyprus, the Commissioner said that the country ‘has recently taken significant steps towards implementing reforms and investments to accelerate the deployment of renewables.’
‘However, the contribution to the EU renewable energy target submitted so far is significantly below the one resulting from EU legislation,’ he added.
According to the Commissioner, an important tool for the country to accelerate the deployment of renewables is its updated Recovery and Resilience Plan worth 1.22 billion euro, endorsed by the Commission last autumn, which dedicates 45% of the available funds on green transition measures, which includes measures regulating and facilitating the participation of individual consumers in the transition to renewables.
‘Overall, there is untapped potential of renewable energy in the country and Cyprus should make the most out of the different funding sources and instruments, raising the ambition
in the renewables sector which will assist in its effort to minimise pollution’ he said, adding that the preparation of the country’s final NEPC ‘is a great opportunity for the Cypriot government to show the necessary level of ambition and tap into the potential of renewables the country has.’
Natura 2000
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Asked to comment on the Commission’s two recent decisions regarding infringements of EU legislation on the protection of Natura 2000 areas, and to assess the progress made by Cyprus so far, Sinkevicius clarified that there are two separate cases.
Regarding the infringement procedures began in June 2021 which resulted in the referral of Cyprus to the Court of the EU, the Commissioner noted that ‘despite efforts made to address certain issues, they were not enough.’ He explained that Cyprus has formally designated 37 sites as Special Areas of Conservation ‘but has yet to establish the necessary conservation measures for 28 of those sites.’
‘The areas of conservation will not work unless there ar
e appropriate measures applied’ he noted, adding that ‘the conservation objectives for five sites which were analysed in detail by the Commission are not adequate, meaning that the species and habitats in these sites are not properly protected.’
‘Despite some progress on the designation of Special Areas of Conservation, the Cypriot authorities have not fully addressed the grievances and therefore we continued the case’ taking it to the European Court of Justice, he said.
Regarding the second case, on the authorisation of economic activities in Natura 2000 sites, Sinkevicius recalled that the Habitats Directive requires that plans and projects that are likely to have a significant impact on a Natura 2000 site have to undergo an assessment of their effects and can only be authorised if they do not harm the integrity of the site.
The Commission sent a letter of formal notice to Cyprus in November 2019 for failing to properly assess projects, but since then ‘has continued to receive complaints by citizens conc
erning the authorisation of new projects’ he noted.
‘The Commission has found that the structural and persistent practice of authorising economic activities in Natura 2000 sites without complying with the Habitats Directive continues’ he stressed, which is why Commission has decided to send a reasoned opinion to Cyprus, which is the last step before a referral to the CoJ.
Asked to comment how the development of tourism can coexist with the need for protecting the environment, the Commissioner stressed that ‘the two goals should not be contradictory’ as the Birds and Habitats Directives ‘support the principle of sustainable development and integrated management’ and ‘do not exclude socio-economic activities from Natura 2000 protected areas.’
‘While investing in tourism, it is also important to set conservation objectives in the Natura 2000 sites’ he continued, adding that these objectives ‘should reflect the importance of the site for these species and habitats so that they continue to enjoy a favourable co
nservation status, as well as address the threats of degradation or destruction’.
‘Management plans for the areas can provide a comprehensive and effective framework for setting conservation objectives and measures in an open and transparent manner’ he added, saying they can be useful tools for building a consensus view on the long-term management solutions and for creating a sense of shared ownership and responsibility for nature.
Fisheries policy
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On the future of the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) in the context of environmental challenges, the Commissioner, said that the latest reform of the policy in 2013 ‘was geared towards regulating fisheries activities to ensure the sustainable management of fish stocks, the conservation of marine ecosystems, and the livelihood of fishing communities’.
More specifically, he explained that the 2013 reform introduced tools to address environmental challenges such as the landing obligation and the requirement to set Total Allowable Catches at maximum sust
ainable yield, ‘meaning the obligation to ensure the sustainable exploitation of fish stocks’ to ensure the sustainability of the EU fisheries and the availability of food supplies.
Sinkevicius also clarified that the evaluation of the CFP which he announced recently does not necessarily mean that a revision will follow. ‘The evaluation will provide an evidence-based assessment of whether the CFP is still fit for purpose or where lessons can be learned for improving’ it, he noted, and that it will be the basis for the next Commission to take an appropriate decision.
Responding to a question on how the EU can prevent the possible reaction of fisheries sector to environmental measures, in a way similar to recent reactions in the farming sector, Sinkevicius said that CFP “is more relevant than ever because it safeguards the oceans that are hosting 80% of biodiversity and on which depends the livelihood of fishers and many coastal communities.” Its implementation is supported by the European Maritime and Fisher
ies Fund (EMFF) he explained.
‘The Commission is actively engaging in supporting the sector adapt to climate change, fight marine pollution and revert marine biodiversity loss, all the while strengthening the resilience of our fishers’ Sinkevicius said pointing to last year’s Fisheries and Oceans Package, and particularly a EU-wide participatory foresight project to forecast the role of fishers in society, launched in October 2023.
Bicommunal cooperation
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Referring to the role of the EU in promoting bi-communal cooperation on the environment and biodiversity in Cyprus, the Commissioner stressed that ‘environmental challenges do not stop at the Green Line, so bi-communal cooperation is essential to ensure that these are addressed coherently across the island.’
Bi-communal cooperation, he added is promoted through several angles under projects financed by the EU aid programme for the Turkish Cypriot community, for example through the encouragement of “peer-to-peer contacts of environmental p
ractitioners from the two communities by building capacity and raising awareness.”
“The EU has provided technical assistance, trainings and workshops for individuals and environmental stakeholders on waste, recycling, and wastewater management, as well as on ecology mainstreaming” he noted, adding that the EU’s engagement with civil society has translated in bi-communal projects about marine pollution or use of pesticides, among others.
He also pointed out that, although implemented in the Turkish Cypriot community, other projects about the conservation of bird species and sustainable use of resources have allowed the creation of links with Greek Cypriot counterparts. Also, the Commission is exploring the possibility to extend these bi-communal experiences to other environment related programmes such as LIFE+, he said.
Sinkevicius added that the collaboration through the bi-communal Technical Committees is also financially supported by the EU, and that this support has so far ‘allowed organising bi-communa
l study visits and exchanges not only on turtle preservation, butterfly monitoring, and local biodiversity, but also on recycling, electronic waste, mining, and quarrying’.
‘Next to stimulating bi-communal cooperation, while the Commission does not have a mandate to ensure the protection of nature in the northern part of Cyprus, it actively contributes to facilitating the work of those who play a role’ he continued, explaining that the EU provides support to local practitioners by Member State experts on how to monitor and manage nature protection under EU principles.
Also, he continued, “while physically located in the northern part of the island, projects like the three wastewater treatment plants that have been built by the EU, the closure of the landfill in Dikomo/Dikmen, or the rehabilitation of the wetlands in Kouklia/Kukla benefit the whole of the island’.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.
Wildfires and reforestation
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Commenting on t
he increase of wildfires due to climate change, the Commissioner said that ‘it is important to work on the prevention side’ and pointed to the guidelines published by the Commission in 2021 on land-based wildfire prevention, containing several examples of practices such as controlled prescribed burning of certain trees to maintain the health of a forest, and the use of grazing animals for reducing materials in the forest that can burn in a fire.
“In addition, we need to improve forest resilience by paying attention to reforestation actions and methods, using locally adapted and resilient tree species” he pointed out, noting that although we will not be able to prevent all wildfires, ‘the consequences of wildfires can be different depending on the species planted or naturally regenerated.’ The Commission published earlier this year guidance to EU funding for afforestation, reforestation and tree planting, he said.
Air quality
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Responding to questions on air quality, especially when it comes to cou
ntries like Cyprus affected by more recent dust storms, Sinkevicius noted that dust storms are natural phenomena ‘not generated by human activity’ which means member states ‘have little influence over them to reduce their importance or duration,’ which is fully recognised by the EU air quality legislation.
‘Nevertheless, it is important to inform the public if any such events trigger severe pollution episodes to take measures to protect the citizens, especially sensitive population and vulnerable groups, and to suggest what to do to reduce exposure to such episodes’ he stressed, noting also that traffic emissions can be influenced by appropriate measures.
‘The good news is that according to data provided by the Cypriot authorities, air quality in Cyprus is within the limits set by the current EU law governing these two pollutants’ he added, pointing out however that concentrations are still above the levels recommended by the World Health Organisation.
Source: Cyprus News Agency