By Stylianos Kazakeos
A strategic wake-up call on crisis preparedness, infrastructure failure, and what we must change before the next wildfire season
In the last five years, the government of Cyprus has spent more than €10 billion through public procurement. This figure is not speculation—it is a reality based on official budget allocations and tender records. These numbers reflect our national capacity to mobilise funds, prioritise needs, and build infrastructure when the state deems it important enough.
And yet, during the wildfire catastrophe we just experienced, we watched our forests vanish, our citizens evacuate, and our frontline responders overwhelmed—while the system stood under-equipped, fragmented, and unprepared.
In just two days, Cyprus lost close to…
