Filenews 9 November 2023
Despite the significant challenges posed by the reform of Local Government, we are preparing as best we can through a road map, while three new amending bills are being prepared, said the Minister of Interior, Constantinos Ioannou, expressing his belief that this "ambitious project will be crowned with absolute success".
Constantinos Ioannou welcomed on Thursday morning, at the Municipal Theatre of Ypsonas, the 41st General Assembly of the Union of Cyprus Municipalities, which, as he indicated, is the last to take place under the existing legislative framework, since as of July 1, 2024, we are entering the new era of operation of Local Authorities.
In his speech, in the presence of the Minister of Transport, Alexis Vafeadis and the Deputy Minister of Research, Filippos Hadjizacharias, the Minister of Interior said that "we have entered the final straight of a marathon route, which presented and presents significant challenges".
However, he noted, the reform is taking place with a very important and non-negotiable goal, the creation of sustainable and more efficient municipalities, which will be able to provide quality and more effective services to citizens at the local level.
"We have now entered into the details of practical implementation and these concern the completion of organizational charts for the new structure of the Municipalities, the redefinition of the scales for the top positions, the preparation of new budget models, the new way of distribution of state funding, the preparation of new Operating Regulations, as well as Regulations regulating personnel issues, new service plans, as well as the preparation of the ambitious project. the burden of which is borne by the Union of Municipalities for the creation of a single information system for all Municipalities, which will support all the functions of the modern Municipality", he added.
Saying that the Ministry is preparing as best it can and a road map has been prepared which it follows for the purpose of coordinating all the required actions, Mr. Ioannou stressed that the reform primarily concerns the Municipalities themselves and the role of the Ministry is mainly coordinating.
Therefore, he continued, it is very important to give the necessary emphasis and the corresponding response on the part of the Municipalities themselves, so that all problems that may arise in the practical implementation of the reform can be addressed in a timely manner.
He made special reference to the issue of the new information system "EVAGORAS", since, as he said, it is one of the main concerns of the Ministry and called on the Municipalities to "allocate the necessary staff and the time required to assist the Union of Municipalities towards the implementation of this important project".
Konstantinos Ioannou also considers the establishment and operation of District Self-Government Organizations, and in particular the smooth transfer of responsibility for development licensing to these Organizations, as a major challenge.
Some provinces, he indicated, have largely advanced in relation to the required preparatory work, while others are lagging behind on specific issues. "We, as a coordinating body, support the efforts so that everyone can follow the implementation schedules," he added, adding that the effort to successfully complete the reform requires the dedication and painstaking effort of all parties involved.
In addition, he said that, as various points of the new legislation have been identified that need to be amended in order to make the law more practically operational, the Ministry of Interior, in addition to the bills submitted last May, is preparing three new amending bills, taking into account the occasional remarks and suggestions of the Municipalities and the Union of Municipalities.
"All these actions have a completion horizon of the first quarter of 2024, in order to allow a sufficient period before the elections on June 9, 2024, for timely management of additional issues that may arise in the recent period," he added, noting that the Ministry of Interior and the Central Advisory Committee are closely monitoring the progress of the work. while the competent Directorate of the Ministry works intensively to this end, in close and continuous cooperation with the Union of Municipalities.
In his address, Mr. Ioannou also referred to the 30-month project entitled "Strengthening the reform of Local Government in Cyprus", implemented in cooperation with the Unions of Municipalities and Communities, through resources of the Recovery and Resilience Plan.
The project, he continued, includes identification of learning needs, updating of the national strategy for the training of Local Authorities and education and training actions for elected officials and employees of Local Government Authorities (Municipalities and Communities) in specific thematic units.
As he said, the ultimate goal of the project is to improve the capacity of Local Authorities in Cyprus to operate in accordance with the principles of the European Charter of Local Self-Government of the Council of Europe.
In addition, according to Mr. Ioannou, the Ministry of Interior is implementing a series of other projects and reforms, which mainly concern the achievement of the objective of promoting balanced sustainable regional development and upgrading the quality of services to citizens and businesses. These are seven actions (projects and reforms) within the framework of policy axes related to public health and civil protection, strengthening the resilience and competitiveness of the economy and moving towards a digital era.
He also referred to the actions of his Ministry concerning, among others, the Integrated Spatial Development and Revitalization of Urban Centers, as well as the Revitalization of the Nicosia Centre and development projects in Municipalities and Communities.
Particularly for the period 2023-2025, as he said, the total cost of the projects, promoted to municipalities and communities, from the budget of the Ministry of Interior, will amount to €632 million. with expenses spread over €325 million. in urban areas, €236 million in rural areas and €71 million in peri-urban areas.
Besides, he added, "wanting to maximize the implementation of important development and infrastructure projects, we adopted a new strategy, which includes the assignment of a number of projects to those Local Government authorities, municipalities or communities that declare readiness to undertake, on the basis of specific procedures, the design, tendering and construction of projects."
Concluding his address, Constantinos Ioannou expressed the will of the Government to proceed with determination in the implementation of "this great reform, so that we can deliver to our fellow citizens a Local Government worthy of their expectations".
"We are convinced that this ambitious venture will be crowned with absolute success, offering citizens better quality services that will improve their daily lives," he noted.
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