Filenews 25 September 2021 - by Vassos Vassiliou
They may have found the government and parliament on the issue of postponing the elections for local rulers and, on the basis of the commitments made by the parties, it may be considered that, more or less, the approval of the reform is imminent, but there are still thorns in the whole process. These are the pending issues which start from the number of new municipalities, extend to the form of referendums (whether it will be one in Cyprus or individually in each affected Local Authority) and reach the power and independence of municipalities.
On the issue of referendums, the government did not want to hear a word, considering that local interests and personal agendas might have overturned the reform itself. However, in the process, due to the reactions of parties and those affected, the government accepted the holding of a single referendum, considering that in this way the reform is ensured and at the same time, the right of citizens to express themselves through their vote on this issue, which is decisive for their lives (how they will live, is covered, what they will pay in the form of fees, the degree of service provided by local authorities, etc.) which touches on a democratic right. The format of the referendums will be decided by the House.
The Parliament will also have to decide on the number of municipalities, which concerns the most debated issue of the reform. It is recalled that after the studies carried out, the reduction of the municipalities from 30, which is today to 14, was considered as a golden mean. However, the objections, the objections and the reactions began to ferment and eventually the government was reportedly ready to accept the establishment of 17 new municipalities. A "new cycle of blood" followed, with local actors "threatening gods and demons", which seems to have led to the discussion, before the House Committee on the Interior, of the number of 20 municipalities while the interior minister expressed fears of a further increase in the number.
The question is what the government will do and whether it will jeopardise the reform if parliament decides to set up 20 municipalities. It is estimated that although the government considers the 17 municipalities to be a "red line", it will not ultimately insist until the end for 1-2 municipalities more or less. It is noted that the EU has not defined a number of municipalities, but as a priority it sets the reform, through which tens of millions will flow into Cyprus from the recovery fund. And of course, when the new schemes are operational, it is estimated that savings of up to €50 million will occur. Annually.
Listens to stakeholders and the House moves on
The Chairman of the House Standing Committee on the Interior, Aristos Damianou, asked about this by "F", said: "We have set up a meeting on September 30th for the purpose of exchanging views between the members of the Committee and determining the next meetings. The aim is to establish whether the parties maintain the positions they had expressed before the elections, as well as their readiness to seek convergences on the contentious issues. My intention, after listening to some bodies, is to start an article-by-article discussion of the bills as soon as possible, in the presence of the Minister of Interior, the Legal Service, the Union of Municipalities and the Union of Communities", concluded Mr. Damianou.
Provisions that challenge municipalities
The Union of Municipalities reacted from time to time to various provisions of the reform, raising the following issues:
-To ensure their receipts from any adoption of pollution reduction policies that will result in the reduction of vehicles or of vehicle registration certificates, whose fees will be collected.
-They undertake the licensing of the developments instead of the undertaking of the process by provincial organizations.
-Assigning them the power to use the green spaces, not only for greenery but also for the possible operation of e.g. a basketball court or other sports facilities, etc.
-They demand to immediately undertake the work of the School Ephorates instead of adopting a transitional period of 5-10 years that is preferred after the reactions of the School Ephorates.
-They rejected the establishment of a Commission to deal with criminal matters as well as civil claims, indicating that all this can be managed by the Courts, considering the establishment of this Commission to be superfluous.
The president of the Union of Municipalities, Andreas Vyras, had expressed the desire for the municipalities to assume more responsibilities, provided that it will be ensured that this will not have negative economic consequences. The petition concerned the possibility of skyrocketing the number of refugees or even the homeless, without the municipalities having the resources to cope. It is noted that apart from the municipalities, reactions were also provoked by the Union of Communities, from which more than 50 communities are leaving, which will be incorporated into the new schemes that will result from the reform. The Union of Communities considers that the countryside is further weakened by the detachment of large communities in particular, in favour of the new municipalities.
On the other hand, the government believes that the prospect of creating rural municipalities will contribute to the strengthening of the countryside, although this will be done in the long term.
