A compensation proposal for professional fishermen in Zygi, who have faced restrictions on access to fishing grounds, is in the final stages of assessment and is expected to be presented shortly, Agriculture Minister Christos Senekis said on Friday.

Senekis was speaking during a visit to Zygi alongside European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis, where the two met local fishermen at the community council offices to discuss the challenges facing the sector.

The minister said small-scale coastal fishing was vital to the local economy and the preservation of a longstanding tradition, but fishermen were facing mounting operating costs and increasingly restricted access to fishing grounds.

“This is why we have prepared a compensation proposal for fishermen in the Zygi area. It is in the final stages of assessment and we will present it in the very near future and move forward to provide meaningful support to professional fishermen, small-scale coastal fishing and its sustainability,” Senekis said.

Kadis said access to fishing grounds had become a major concern, particularly as maritime developments, including the nearby energy centre, had reduced the areas available to local fishermen.

He noted that similar problems were being experienced across Europe and that the European Commission was revising the directive on maritime spatial planning, placing particular emphasis on safeguarding access to fishing grounds, especially for small-scale fishermen.

The commissioner also addressed rising energy costs, saying the Commission had activated a crisis mechanism under the relevant European fund, allowing member states to provide financial support to the fishing sector.

Cyprus was among the countries that had taken advantage of the provision to support fishermen facing higher energy costs, he said.

Kadis added that the Commission was considering extending the measure into 2027, as the existing provision covered 2026.

Giannos Stylianou, president of Zygi’s professional fishermen, welcomed the visit and said discussions had focused on restrictions affecting maritime space, energy costs and fuel prices.

“They showed us complete understanding. We are very satisfied and I believe they will stand by us and help us address this major and serious problem, particularly affecting our area,” Stylianou said.

Europe “can no longer take water for granted”, European Oceans Commissioner Costas Kadis said on Thursday, as he attended a conference on the “circular water economy” at the University of Cyprus.

He told the conference that dealing with water scarcity is “emerging as a key strategic priority”, and that “the protection of water resources is an environmental priority, an economic necessity, and a matter of strategic security”.

“The fires, droughts, and phenomena of water scarcity recorded during the summer highlighted the urgent need to strengthen Europe’s resilience, as water is essential for people, for agriculture, for energy, for industry, and for ecosystems,” he said.

He made reference to the new “European Water Initiative”, which was announced by European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during her State of the European Union address last month, saying that it will “complement the European water resilience strategy”.

In his, he said, it will aim to “accelerate actions to address water scarcity and climate risks”.

“The effective implementation of European policies requires adequate skills, stronger institutional capacities, and a closer connection between research and practice,” he said, before making reference to the new European Water Academy, launched last month.

According to the commission, the water academy has created a “Europe‑wide portfolio of labelled training and skill‑development programmes for a water-resilient Europe”.

Cyprus has ‘longstanding experience in dealing with water scarcity’

Kadis then referred to Cyprus specifically, saying that the island has “longstanding experience in dealing with water scarcity, water reuse, and desalination”, and that that experience “can be utilised in other coastal areas of the European Union which face similar pressures”.

However, he said, “desalination must operate in tandem with water saving and reuse, based on the principle of prioritising the efficient use of water resources and avoiding significant environmental damage”.

Von der Leyen had said last month that while “we know the risks of water scarcity for our farmers, energy, and supply chains”, “European pipes lose almost one in every four litres [of water], mostly through leakage”.

Details have yet to be added to her announcement of the “European Water Initiative”, but it will likely complement the EU’s existing water resilience strategy, through which the commission has pledged to “restore and protect the water cycle from source to sea” and “adopt water-smart practices and green infrastructure”.

This, it said, will “improve water retention on land, prevent water pollution and tackle pollutants in drinking water”, while it also hopes to “provide guidance on how to reduce water consumption and improve water efficiency in the EU by 10 per cent” by the end of the decade.

European Union Fisheries Commissioner Costas Kadis is scheduled to visit Cyprus on Thursday and Friday for a series of official engagements concerning sustainable water management, the fisheries sector and the development of marine sciences.

Kadis will begin his visit on Thursday, October 29, and participate in the Circular Water Economy conference, being held at the University of Cyprus in Nicosia.

Following the event, Kadis will meet with Environment Commissioner Elias Myrianthous.

On Friday, the commissioner will visit the Zygi fishing harbour, where he will engage directly with the local fishing community.

Kadis will subsequently meet with representatives of the fisheries sector at the Zygi community council, where he is expected to exchange views on the challenges faced by the sector and the future of sustainable fishing.

His visit will conclude with the foundation stone ceremony for the Cyprus University of Technology’s school of marine sciences in Larnaca.