European Commission Approves €34 Million Aid Programme for Turkish Cypriots
The European Commission has approved the 2026 EU Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community, providing €34 million in EU funding to “support socio-economic development and facilitate the reunification process.”
According to a European Commission statement, the programme will support the Turkish Cypriot community in aligning with EU food safety and animal health standards. It will also support the implementation of the island-wide Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) scheme for Halloumi/Hellim.
The programme will also include measures to support economic development, including Green Line trade, and strengthen the innovation and trading capacity of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
The 2026 programme will further support projects in energy, school infrastructure, and wastewater and waste treatment. This will include initiatives to expand the reuse of treated water from the Nicosia Bi-Communal Wastewater Treatment Plant.
Confidence-building activities will remain a key priority. Support will continue for the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage, the Committee on Missing Persons, other bi-communal technical committees and civil society organisations.
The programme will also continue funding two of the EU’s leading scholarship schemes: the bi-communal scholarship programme enabling young Cypriots to study at United World Colleges (UWC) schools, and scholarships for Turkish Cypriots studying at universities across the EU.
The European Commission noted that the EU has allocated more than €794 million to the Aid Programme over the past 20 years.
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