Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, will visit Cyprus on 6-7 May 2026, where she will participate in the 3rd Euro-Mediterranean Workshop on Fire Risks, co-organised by the European Commission, Cyprus, on behalf of the Council of the EU, and the Union for the Mediterranean.
The workshop will focus on fire risk management, addressing both wildfires and industrial fire risks, recognising that fire emergencies increasingly represent a systemic regional challenge requiring integrated and cross-sectoral approaches. The discussions take place after the adoption of the Commission Communication on integrated wildfire risk management and few days after the Commission adopted its Proposal for a Council Recommendation on this issue.
Commissioner Lahbib will also visit the new firefighting hub hosted near Paphos, in the west of Cyprus. Announced by President Ursula von der Leyen during her State of the Union address, the European firefighting hub in Cyprus will strengthen the EU’s ability to respond rapidly and effectively to wildfire emergencies and boost capacity via training sessions. Just in the past days, several Member States, including the Netherlands, Germany, Italy and the Czech Republic, were hit by wildfires. This further underscores the importance of cross-border and regional cooperation.
On Thursday, the Commissioner will attend the high-level conference on ‘Inclusion of persons with disabilities: empowerment and support in a community for all’ hosted by Cyprus. At the conference, the Commissioner will present the enhanced Strategy for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities up to 2030, due to be presented on 6 May.
On the margins of the conference, Commissioner Lahbib will meet with the Cypriot Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, Clea Hadjistephanou Papaellina, and the President of the European Disability Forum, Yannis Vardakastanis, with whom she will discuss the importance of empowering persons with disabilities and ensuring their autonomy.
