Filenews 5 November 2025 - by Angelos Nikolaou
With the aim of stricter supervision and more effective treatment of the illegal use of fireworks, a final decision is expected to be made today in the parliamentary committee on the environment on the bill "The Explosives Law of 2025". The bill provides for a clear separation of responsibilities between the Police and the Mining Service, stricter penalties of up to €50,000, as well as an expansion of criminal liability for illegal fireworks at events such as weddings and christenings.
The main axis of the legislative amendment is the separation of audit responsibilities between the Mining Service and the Police, with the aim of clarifying the roles and strengthening compliance controls.
According to the provisions of the bill:
● The director of the Mining and Quarrying Agency retains responsibility for issuing permits and inspecting warehouses of explosives used for blasting.
● The Chief of the Cyprus Police is now responsible for inspections of fireworks, gunpowder and ammunition warehouses, as well as for the fight against the illegal import, transport, storage, sale and use of explosives.
According to the director of the Mining Service, Stelios Michael, this separation came about after consultation with the Ministry of Justice and the Cyprus Police, in order to achieve more effective cooperation and better supervision of the explosives market.
According to the Mines and Quarries Service, the need to extend criminal liability to the event organizer and the owner and/or manager of an event venue, in the context of which the illegal lighting of fireworks takes place, arises from the finding of the Service of the Organization that in several cases the lighting of fireworks is done on the initiative of both the organizers of the event and the owners/managers of the event venues.
It is pointed out that the members of the Cyprus Police may make a report of illegal fireworks either after their own finding of their commission or after receiving independent testimony. In the event that the shooting takes place outside the area where the relevant event is being held, there is a reasonable suspicion that the owner or manager or organizer of the event is involved in the throwing.
The Office of the Commissioner for the Protection of Children's Rights, in a memorandum to the Parliamentary Committee on the Environment, during the discussion of the issue, expressed its satisfaction with the proposed amendment of the legislation in order "to prohibit the sale of fireworks, regardless of type, type, class or quantity sold, without the prior securing of a license for the sale of fireworks by the competent Authority''. In the context of children's rights, the Office considers that tightening the framework regarding the sale of fireworks is in the best interests of the child.
Tougher penalties and expansion of criminal liability
With the proposed amendment, the penalties for illegal use of explosives are increased tenfold, increasing the maximum fine from €5,000 to €50,000.
At the same time, criminal liability for the illegal use of fireworks is extended. Not only will the person who makes the throw be prosecuted, but also:
● the organizer of the event (e.g. the couple at a wedding or the parents at a baptism), and
● the owner and/or manager of the venue where the event takes place (e.g. banquet hall).
This provision is part of the context of dealing with the growing phenomenon of illegal fireworks at social events, which poses risks to public safety, animals and young children.
