Filenews 20 February 2026
An inter-ministerial meeting on the promotion of the creation of a Cyprus Coast Guard was held today at the Ministry of Justice and Public Order, at the invitation of the Minister of Justice Costas Fytiris.
The meeting was attended by the Minister of Transport, Communications and Works, the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, the Minister of Defence, the Deputy Minister of Shipping, the Director General of the Ministry of Interior, the Governor of the JRC, the Director of the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, the Assistant Chief of Police (Border Surveillance), as well as officials from all the relevant services.
During the meeting, the Ministry of Justice presented a detailed proposal for the proposed model for the establishment and operation of the Coast Guard, its organizational structure, as well as the stages of implementation of the project, which is expected to be largely financed by European funds. According to the plan, the proposal will be forwarded to the Council of Ministers at the beginning of March 2026 and, if approved, the submission of a relevant bill to the Parliament for approval will follow as soon as possible.
As mentioned, the Coast Guard will operate as an independent service and will undertake all the responsibilities of surveillance, control and enforcement of legislation from the coastline to the limits of responsibility of the Republic of Cyprus in the EEZ and in the Search and Rescue area. For this purpose, the merger of existing services of various ministries that have floating and aerial means, such as the Coast Guard and the Police Helicopter Squadron, the Department of Fisheries and Marine Research, the Hydrographic Service and other related bodies, is foreseen.
The main objective of the initiative, according to the Ministry of Justice, is to strengthen the coordination and effectiveness of maritime surveillance and security operations, achieving the maximum possible result in the shortest time and at the lowest possible cost to the Republic.
