Filenews 23 June 2022
The Minister of Interior, Nikos Nouris, referred to the reform of Local Self-Government, the housing and of course the migration problem at the 14th Pancyprian Congress of the Federation of Free Trade Unions of Semi-State Organizations (OHIO-SEK).
In the speech, the Minister of Interior spoke at the conference about the challenges that arise and about a series of reforms, such as that of local government, noting with satisfaction that today we can refer to local government, having in front of us new and extremely promising data for our country.
As he said, after years of efforts, discussions and consultations, it was possible for the House of Representatives to vote last March on one of the most important reforms for Cyprus.
He said that the passage and publication of the new laws was the first, but very important, step in the implementation of the local government reform. The roadmap for the implementation of what is stated in the new legislative framework is already being implemented, with the aim of implementing the new operating framework in June 2024 at the next local elections.
At the same time, he expressed the certainty that the excellent cooperation they have had so far with the trade union side and the valuable and constant support shown by the trade unionists towards the achievement of the goal of passing the reform bills, will continue during the transitional phase.
He noted that any reactions are not capable of hindering the progress of implementation, as long as they are treated in a spirit of prudence and cooperation and with an eye committed to the final goal of creating viable, more effective local authorities and organizations, with expanded responsibilities, administrative and financial autonomy for the benefit of every citizen, wherever he resides in Cyprus.
He said that personnel issues are one of the main pillars of the upcoming reform and added that the indicator of success will be the creation of modern organizational charts that meet the needs of each new entity and the strengthening of local authorities with the appropriate staff to be able to carry out their work effectively.
Mr. Nouris said that through the Recovery and Resilience Plan, the Ministry will implement a project, which includes, among other things, the training of elected officials and the staff of local authorities, in order to provide the necessary skills for a smooth and smooth transition to the new operating framework. The project, which starts next September, until the beginning of 2025, and will be implemented by the Centre of Expertise for Good Governance of the Council of Europe, with the cooperation of the Associations of Municipalities and Communities, as well as the Academy of Public Administration.
In relation to CyBC, Mr. Nouris underlined the contribution of SEK to the implementation of the very important agreement reached in 2020, between the employer side and the unions of the staff of the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation.
Through this agreement, an organizational chart was created that now enables the Foundation to cope with modern requirements, making full use of its human resources and without any loss of positions.
On the issue of housing policy, Mr. Nouris said that through the course of its implementation it evolved and "mutated" to make it even more generous and attractive for citizens.
He noted that particular importance was given to the promotion of policies for the revitalization of the countryside, with particular reference to our mountainous, disadvantaged and border areas, while he stressed that the aim, through the generous Plans for the provision of financial support for the acquisition of housing, is to create the conditions and prospects for the containment of the existing population, but also for attracting new residents, contributing to the reduction of the phenomenon of urbanization.
To date, he said, a total of 694 applications for the acquisition of a privately owned house have been approved, with an expense of €24.3m, which demonstrates the interest of citizens in the Schemes.
The Plans were revised and re-announced in April 2022 with additional improved incentives and three times the available appropriations of €15m. for this year and €20 mil. for 2023.
On the big issue of migration, Mr. Nouris initially stressed that the perpetrator and instigator of the invasion and the migration issue is Attila. "An invader in 1974, a trafficker of human souls in recent years, instrumentalizing migrants with the aim and aim of demographic alteration and alienation of the country," he said, stressing that this dangerous hybrid threat against both Cyprus and the EU itself has gathered 50,000 asylum seekers in the areas controlled by the Republic, almost all of them coming from the green line.
Mr. Nouris said that the window of optimistic perspective is the recent decisions and the public statements of EU officials that clearly send the message that the European partners have now become communicants, participants and helpers in our effort to effectively address this crisis.
As Mr. Nouris said, this of course was not done either by magic or by chance, but it was done with perseverance, but also with correct and documented projection of the problem that led to the signing of 4 agreements with the EU and its agencies, which allow us to be optimistic that the management of the problem is now becoming more accessible since support is provided to important infrastructure projects and know-how.
He went on to say that the Ministry of Interior has clearly defined its objectives, which are the reduction of crossings from the green line, something that will be achieved by placing physical obstacles, with surveillance through a police unit, the establishment of which we expect the House of Representatives to vote in Law and the use of technology.
At the same time, he said, we maximize returns of those who are rejected. Already the deportations for 2022 have surpassed those in total in 2021 to 2400, while we are tabling agreements with a number of countries to return those of their nationals whose stay was refused, he said.
