New European fund to pay for development projects in north

A renewed European aid fund to the tune of €17.7 million that will go towards economic and social development in the north was announced on Thursday, and will fund projects such as the restoration of the Pedieos river and the extension of the linear park on both sides of the buffer zone.

The European Union’s aid programme will have a duration of three years, while additional funding will be made available on a yearly basis, it emerged during an event held in the north on Wednesday.

As part of the programme, a coordinating committee and consultative body will support beneficiaries and submit recommendations of projects approved for funding.

The restoration project for Pedieos river that is a priority for the Turkish Cypriot community and which is already underway with the assistance of EU funding was presented at the event.

The project plans to construct a five-kilometre extension of the linear park that runs along the river, which will be equipped with anti-flooding systems, bicycle lanes, walking paths, leisure areas and environmental education premises.

Additional projects to be funded by the aid programme include a strategic plan for water resources, an enhancement of the sewerage treatment plants in Morphou and Famagusta, composting facilities in Nicosia, the sewerage network at Hamit Mandres, and the first phase of the closure of the old waste water treatment plant in Nicosia.