Filenews 2 July 2025 - by Vasos Vassiliou
[As a reminder the Communities, of which Tala is one, fall under the umbrella of the EDA following the Government re-organisation]
The citizens may not have felt in their pockets a difference for the better from the establishment and operation of the Provincial Local Government Organizations (EDA), but it is certain that some of their officials feel it, if we take into account that in addition to their remuneration, which ranges between €70,000 – €80,000 per year, they also have ... their luck.
Taxpayers, whether they like it or not, will take a total of about €466 million out of their pockets. and specifically €466,272,998 in order to operate the five Provincial Local Government Organizations. This is the amount of money included in the budgets of the EDAs (the first to be submitted to the Parliament for approval after the establishment of the Organizations) which are being discussed before the parliamentary committee on the Interior and are expected to be forwarded for approval before the Plenary Session of the Parliament. Of course, citizens will receive services ranging from planning permits and building permits to water supply and sewerage. One of the questions that arises is whether these services will be upgraded compared to the corresponding services provided before the reform of Local Government.
However, as it emerges from the budgets of the EDAs (the first ones submitted to Parliament for approval after the establishment of the Organizations), the presidents and general directors and so on, in addition to the fat salaries they receive, are provided with hospitality, travel and telephone allowances as follows:
1. Hospitality allowance to the EDA President and the EDA General Manager, amounting to €4,200 per year, as well as to directors with A15(i) scale, amounting to €2,400 per year.
2. Special flat-rate travel allowance to the Director General of the EDA, amounting to €1,230 per year, as well as to the directors with scale A15(s), amounting to €920 per year.
3. A flat-rate telephone allowance for directors with an A15(s) scale, amounting to €700 per year.
It should be noted that for the Nicosia EDA (and correspondingly for the other EDAs), the general manager is remunerated with €87,000 per year, the head of Financial Services with €77,572 and the Director of Development Licensing (scale A15) with €71,158.
It should be noted that the remuneration of the chairman and members of the board of directors in 2025 is €138,000, in 2026 they rise to €141,000 and in 2027 they will amount to €145,000.
But some of the EDA employees, who will inspect various tasks, will also have some benefit.
Specifically, an advance payment for the purchase of a motor vehicle is provided for itinerant employees and hourly paid personnel, provided that they have more than 3,000 certified, paid kilometers per year. Alternatively, they will receive a flat-rate travel allowance corresponding to a number of kilometers, as certified by the competent Authority and the accounting department. The advance payment is provided in the form of a loan, with a seven-year term, with interest of 3% and amounts to €17,000 and €14,000 for the first and subsequent advances, respectively, for the purchase of a car and €3,500 for the purchase of a motorcycle, up to a maximum.
Recruitment window and exemptions for pensioners
In the budget of the Nicosia EDA, it is stated that "in addition to the amounts that have already been legally budgeted to be used or that will be budgeted later, an amount that does not exceed €126,276,218 is approved to be paid from its cash reserves for the year ending 31 December 2025 to cover its expenses.
In the accompanying text of the budget, while it is stated that the employment/recruitment of fixed-term employees and hourly paid staff (to cover seasonal or emergency needs) is prohibited, a window is opened for 52 recruitments (seasonal/extraordinary) in the following cases:
>> Up to 1 fixed-term employee for the performance of the duties of an executive engineer (Cl. A9).
>> Up to 8 fixed-term employees for the performance of the duties of a licensing officer (Cl. A9).
>> Up to 2 fixed-term employees for the performance of the duties of an IT officer (Cl. A8).
>> Up to 2 fixed-term employees for the performance of administrative tasks (Cl. A8).
>> Up to 16 fixed-term employees for the performance of clerical duties (Cl. A2).
>> Up to 23 fixed-term employees for the performance of technical engineering duties [Cl. A5 (2nd grade)].
Similar recruitment of seasonal workers will take place in the other EDCs.
Exceptions to employment are also recorded in the remuneration of pensioners, since pensioners in state office are excluded, as well as the following cases of persons who:
>> They have not reached the age of 65 at the time of commencement of their employment.
>> They are employed by virtue of any special Law.
>> In case no employment relationship is established.
>> Persons whose services are secured by a service contract pursuant to the provisions of the 2016 Law on the Regulation of Public Procurement Procedures and Related Matters.
The pension benefits of EDA Nicosia staff for 2025 amount to €701,422, for 2026 to €1,173,490 and in 2027 to €1,173,490
Sewerage revenues in 2025 amount to €32,517,200, in 2026 to €34,475,000 and in 2027 to €35,375,000. Moreover, water revenues amount to €42,460,000 for 2025, €43,500,000 for 2026 and €44,900,000 for 2027.
Licensing revenues (urban planning and building permits) amount to €5,500,000 for 2025, €6,000,000 and €6,550,000 for 2027.
The personnel costs for 2024 (under the previous regime) amounted to €6,610,891, in 2025 to €16,082,634, for 2026 to €23,920,158 and for 2027 to €22,698,844.
As far as the Limassol EDA is concerned, its budget for this year amounts to €117,869,395.
The personnel cost for 2024 was €5,128,329, for 2025 €12,894,083 for 2026. €16,797,263 and for the year 2027 €15,851,150.
The properties, facilities and equipment of the EDA Limassol amount to €331,725,171 this year, in 2026 it will rise to €344,544,033 and in 2027 to €353,045,196.
The budget of the Larnaca EDA this year amounts to €123,144,607.
Licensing revenues are estimated at €3,720,000 this year, €3,757,200 in 2026 and €3,794,772 in 2027.
The personnel cost for the year 2025 is estimated at €11,889,045, for the year 2026 at €14,475,431 and for the year 2027 at €14,898,022.
The budget of the Famagusta EDA is estimated for this year at €56,190,088.
The budget of the Paphos EDA for this year was estimated at €42,792,680
The personnel cost for the year 2025 was estimated at €4,980,012, for 2026 at €6,867,590 and at €7,439,010 for 2027.
