Following a drone strike in March, inspections revealed that many civil shelters in Cyprus are unusable, highlighting a broader issue of deteriorating civil shelter networks across Europe. The EU has limited authority to enforce shelter construction or standards, relying instead on member states for civil protection. While the EU can assist with emergency responses and has committed funds for temporary shelters, it lacks the capacity to provide permanent civil defense solutions. The disparity in shelter coverage among EU countries is significant, with some nations well-prepared and others lacking basic infrastructure. Cyprus is drafting new legislation to improve its shelter network, but the EU's influence remains limited without treaty changes. Teljes cikk (Euronews.com)