Significant pressures on Cyprus water resources, linked among other factors to water scarcity, water abstraction and agricultural pollution, are identified in a specific European Commission assessment on the implementation of EU water legislation.
In a statement published on Monday, the Commission presented new assessments for Member States that had not submitted their data in time to be included in the initial reports of February 2025. These include Cyprus, along with Bulgaria, Greece, Ireland, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia and Slovenia.
The Commission’s dedicated staff working document on Cyprus examines the third River Basin Management Plan and the second Flood Risk Management Plan under the Water Framework Directive and the Floods Directive.
According to the assessment, Cyprus has limited water resources, while rising temperatures, prolonged droughts and increasing demand from households, agriculture and tourism have intensified pressures.
The Commission notes that the country is among the Member States with the highest levels of the Water Exploitation Index, while also highlighting investments in a management system based on dams, seawater desalination, wastewater treatment and water reuse.