Filenews 4 March 2023
A bill that has been submitted to the Parliament and aims to reduce pollutants caused by road transport, which in Cyprus is considered responsible for 50% of greenhouse gas emissions (mainly C02).
In the legislation, "The Determination of Special Measures for the Reduction of Air Pollutants and Greenhouse Gases derived from Road Transport Law of 2023", refers to areas where the movement of polluting vehicles will be prohibited by decree and anyone caught violating the law will face the following penalties:
- A person who drives a vehicle or has control of such a vehicle on any road or other public place in violation of the decrees issued under the Law, or violates any other provision of the decrees, is guilty of an offence and, if convicted, is liable to imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years or to a fine not exceeding €10,000.
- A person who employs or assigns, for remuneration or not, to another person to drive a vehicle, in violation of the relevant decrees, is subject to imprisonment for a period not exceeding two years or to a fine not exceeding €10,000.
- Any person who prevents a Supervisor or a person appointed to exercise the powers granted to him by law or refuses or fails to follow their instructions, is guilty of an offence and, if convicted, is liable to a term of imprisonment not exceeding one year or to a fine not exceeding €5,000.
With the bill, it is considered that the improvement of air quality in Cyprus is achieved, while the obligations of the Republic arising from the "European Green Deal" and the "Cyprus Recovery and Resilience Plan" are fulfilled.
The same document states that for Cyprus, the target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions is now at 24% by the year 2030 (compared to the year 2005), which will be increased in the context of the discussion of the "Fit for 55%" package, up to possibly 32%.
It is added that while in various legislations concerning road transport there are provisions that allow measures to be taken on issues of traffic regulation and road safety, there is no possibility to take measures justifying the reduction of emissions from vehicles.
Among the measures included in the bill, is the prohibition in specific areas or roads or on specific days and hours, of the movement of vehicles of defined categories that run on conventional fuels and do not meet the specifications of anti-pollution technology or the limits of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.
