THE MINISTER OF INTERIOR CALLS ON THE EOAs TO PUBLISH AND UPDATE THE 1,300 DANGEROUS BUILDINGS - Filenews 15/4
The Minister of the Interior, Konstantinos Ioannou, urged the Provincial Self-Government Organizations (EOA) to publicize and update the approximately 1,300 dangerous buildings, applying the current legislation, after his meeting on Wednesday with the president and delegation of ETEK, with the Chamber submitting a proposal for the creation of an electronic register where all dangerous buildings will be posted.
The meeting between the Ministry of Interior and ETEK on dangerous buildings took place on the occasion of the collapse of a section of an apartment building in Limassol last Saturday, which claimed the lives of two people.
"I would like to express my sincere condolences to the families of the two victims," the Minister initially said in his statements.
Mr. Ioannou stated that until the adoption of new legislation, the EOAs are required to apply the treatments provided for in the existing Law on Roads and Buildings, specifically in articles 15, 15a and 15b.
As he added, a single procedure was determined by the Ministry of the Interior last March which has been notified to the EOAs, with the requirements that the competent authorities must follow for the management of dangerous buildings.
"The legal and financial responsibility for removing the danger of the buildings lies primarily with its owners," he underlined.
The Minister stated that the amount of €2 million for a period of 2 years, for 2025 and 2026, was made available to the EOAs, from which they can draw money, after following all the steps of the single procedure.
"In cases of immediate need for intervention, exceptionally, the EOAs can take the necessary measures to remove the risk without following the statutory procedure that takes some time," he noted.
"I therefore urge the provincial self-government organizations to utilize the knowledge and know-how of the members of ETEK to support the whole effort," added Mr. Ioannou.
He also stressed that the EOAs must prioritize the approximately 1,300 cases that had been identified, depending on the degree of risk.
As the Minister mentioned, for the most dangerous buildings, the EOAs must proceed with marking and apply Article 15, prohibiting their use, with owner-occupied or rented, until the necessary restoration works are done.
Mr. Ioannou noted that in March 2025, the Ministry of the Interior, in cooperation with the then MP Marinos Mousiouttas and the Interior Committee, promoted a relevant amendment on dangerous constructions.
He stated that the aim of the amendment is to strengthen the available tools, with measures such as total or partial demolition, prohibition of use or rental, sealing and immediate removal of persons.
The Minister underlined that the Ministry seeks the immediate completion of the discussion and the adoption of the legislation, which, together with the framework for communal buildings, will strengthen surveillance and contribute to addressing risks to public safety.
In relation to the tragedy in Limassol, Mr. Ioannou stated that there is an ongoing criminal investigation by the Police.
The Minister clarified that the audit for the 1,300 buildings was carried out by the municipalities and the data were transferred to the EOAs, however they need to be updated.
He added that Article 15B of the relevant legislation enables EOAs to proceed voluntarily to evacuate dangerous buildings, with the assistance of the Police.
"We will support the effort of the EOAs by creating an electronic platform to update all these hundreds of buildings that have been classified as dangerous," said the president of ETEK, Konstantinos Konstanti.
"They should be categorized after their situation is updated and the EOAs should be invited to go on the spot, to place signage. There must be transparency, disclosure, publicity of all cases," he added.
"The EOAs need to act with the existing tools they have. The law provides them with other tools so that we can protect the public. Now the indifference of all of us is criminal and we have terrible responsibilities", underlined the president of ETEK in conclusion.
