The Central Agency for the Equal Distribution of Burdens has approved a total of 57,853 applications worth €2.57 billion during its 30 years of operation, from 1996 to September 2026, Deputy Director of the Agency, George Sofokleous, haw told CNA.
The Agency is a public body established to support refugees and displaced persons who suffered economic losses following the 1974 Turkish invasion and occupation.
The applications amount to an average of approximately 1,928 per year. Of the total, 44,980 concerned loans worth €1.38 billion, while 12,873 involved interest subsidies on loans totalling €1.19 billion, Sofokleous said, adding that these figures were “an indication of the effort being made to give credibility and value to properties in the occupied areas”.
According to the Agency's data, the loans included 33,514 student loans worth €858.284 million, 1,239 medical and pharmaceutical loans totalling €19.852 million, 4,587 housing loans worth €321.36 million, 2,924 loans for young couples amounting to €47.41 million, and 116 loans for young entrepreneurs totalling €2.525 million.
Loans with rent subsidies concerned 12,712 housing loans worth a total of €1.18 billion and 161 business loans amounting to €8.213 million.
Marking the Agency's 30th anniversary this year, Sofokleous said its commitment was to continue supporting owners of properties in the occupied areas by upgrading its regulations and criteria, as well as the schemes it offers, “until the day of redemption comes, which is none other than our return to our ancestral homes”.
CNA/CST/DV/MK/2026
ENDS, CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY