Filenews 19 July 2024 - by Chrysanthos Manoli
Without the Supreme Court's decision having yet been announced, information converges that Cyta and EAC have won the very important – on many levels – legal battle for the smart meters that EAC is called upon to procure and install as soon as possible.
According to information, the Court accepted the appeals against an earlier decision of the Administrative Court and ruled that the decision of the EAC Board of Directors to award Cyta the supply and installation of 400,000 smart meters was legal and wrongly annulled by the Administrative Court.
This means that the position of an unsuccessful bidder that Cyta has no legal right to provide services beyond strictly considered telecommunications services has been rejected. It also means that EAC's decision to work with Cyta to finally install smart meters on its customers' premises, with a grant of €35 million, is a major step in the right direction. It was legal and can be implemented seamlessly and without any other procedures.
Official information is expected early next week. It is believed, however, that a pending issue that threatened Cyprus with the loss of its €35 million sponsorship was not resolved. from the EU and an even longer delay in the installation of smart meters has been lifted.
In addition, the last doubts about Cyta's ability to engage in services and investments not directly related to telecommunications are removed, subject to their strict definition. Parliament has already approved relevant legislation, following the submission of a bill by the Christodoulides Government.
