On Thursday 19 September, a regular session of the Cypriot parliament was held, during which MPs raised the issue of dangerous buildings on the island and who is responsible for their demolition.
During the discussion of this issue, a heated argument broke out between the new regional self-government organisations (EOA) and the local municipalities. As it turned out, neither was prepared to shoulder the burden.
It should be recalled that, according to an earlier decision, responsibility for dangerous buildings was to be transferred from the municipalities to the EOA - new organisations at district level created as part of the local government reform that began earlier this year - as of 1 October. However, EOA representatives told MPs that they did not have the funding, staff or technical expertise to lead the initiative.
As a result, officials had no choice but to propose that control of emergency buildings be transferred to municipalities for another year. In turn, representatives of the local district administrations reacted very negatively to this idea, stating that they also lacked the necessary technical expertise and were opposed to having this responsibility 'thrust upon them'.
In the middle of the debate, an official from the Cypriot Ministry of Interior intervened. He told the MPs that the law could not be changed, so it would come into force as planned on 1 October. The official also stressed that the government has no right to provide financial support to the EOA and that the Rni must operate on a self-financing basis. Incidentally, according to the law, the Cypriot government can transfer funds to municipalities, but not to the EOA.
The head of the EOA in Limassol, Yiannis Tsouloftas, then said that they were not afraid to take responsibility, but that they needed legal and financial tools to do so. He supported the idea of a 'grace period' during which the government could adjust the existing rules.
It is worth noting that the Minister of the Interior, Constantinos Ioannou, has also recently raised this issue.
He described temporary accommodation as 'the main problem' in Cyprus and told a parliamentary committee that the ministry was actively working with municipalities to resolve the issue. The responsibility for controlling such buildings, he argued, should be transferred to district authorities. These authorities are already responsible for issuing permits and planning construction in their areas.
Ioannou said that the Cypriot authorities keep careful records of problem buildings that pose a threat to residents. There are at least seven such properties in Nicosia. Dozens of dangerous buildings have also been identified in Limassol, including the 14-storey Pieris Estate building on Omonia Avenue. This building has been vacant for a long time and is in a state of disrepair. The recent collapse of part of the parapet has confirmed its danger. The authorities have allocated €500,000 to demolish the building and remove the danger.