In 2021, the general government expenditure in Cyprus for fire protection services amounted to 34.5 million euros, marking a 4.2% decrease compared to the 36 million euros spent in 2020, according to data by Eurostat.
This decline contrasts with the overall trend in the EU, which saw a 2.5% increase in fire protection spending, rising from 33.3 billion euros to 34.1 billion euros during the same period.
Over the course of a decade, from 2011 to 2021, Cyprus experienced a substantial 20% reduction in expenditures for fire protection services, the data show.
The proportion of fire protection expenditure as a part of the general government’s total expenditure was 0.3% in Cyprus, slightly lower than the EU’s average of 0.5%. Throughout the EU, government spending on fire protection services has remained relatively stable, hovering around 0.4% to 0.5% since 2001.
Within Cyprus, the percentage of government expenditure allocated to fire protection remained relatively consistent. It stood at 0.5% between 2001 and 2013, dipped to 0.3% in 2014, and then returned to 0.4% from 2015 to 2020.
When comparing member states in 2021, Denmark reported the lowest share of expenditure on fire protection services as a portion of total expenditure, at just 0.1%.
Following closely behind were Cyprus, Hungary, Malta, Austria, Portugal, and Slovenia, all with 0.3%. In contrast, Lithuania and Romania allocated the highest proportion of their total expenditure to fire protection services, at 0.7%, followed by Bulgaria, Czechia, Germany, Estonia, Greece, and Luxembourg, each at 0.6%.
Over the course of a decade, starting in 2011, most EU countries increased both their total expenditure and their spending on fire protection services. Luxembourg experienced the most substantial increase in fire protection spending, with a remarkable rise of 387%.
However, three EU countries, namely Cyprus (with a decrease of 20%), Denmark (with a decrease of 17%), and Croatia (with a decrease of 14%), reduced their spending on fire protection services in 2021 compared to a decade earlier.