The gas station owners arrived outside the Presidential Palace to hold a protest with the aim of the intervention of the President of the Republic, regarding the issue of the specifications of the tankers and by extension the immobilization of hundreds of vehicles. The issue, as we are informed, concerns more than 300 tankers.
The two main issues they put on the table are the possibility of giving a new extension for the replacement of the tanker fleet and at the same time discussing the part of the subsidy from the government side, since as it has been said, each vehicle costs about €120,000. It is noted that from today's protest march, the operation of the gas stations, which continue to serve consumers normally, is not affected.
he protesters gathered at 10.00 in the morning at the GSP parking lot and then moved in an organized manner towards the Presidential Palace, through Joseph X" Iosif Street and Athalassas Avenue.
In short, the difference between the two sides focuses on the implementation of legislation – on the basis of a European directive – which makes it mandatory to use the ADR system on tankers. With this system, it is possible to cut off the power supply to vehicles transporting dangerous goods, in the event of an accident, to prevent dangers for both passengers and citizens. The issue with this system dates back to 2008, when it was decided to implement the European directive for the movement of ADR tankers on Cypriot roads. However, each time, a settlement emerged, without resolving the issue in its substance.
In the event that a solution or compromise is not found between the two sides, it is possible that significant problems will arise in the coming period, since basic services, such as hospitals, but also large businesses, which need significant amounts of fuel, for example tourist accommodation, will not be able to be served.
The Department of Road Transport claims that gas station owners had about 17 years ahead of them to either change their vehicles or modify them to be certified as ADR vehicles. In his recent statements, the Director of the TOM, Giorgos Loukas, noted, among other things, that "they had time from 2008, when the regulations on ADR safety standards were implemented at the European Union level, until 2025, when the decree was issued. I think it was a long transitional period that both the companies and the gas station owners and the ADR consultants were aware of. They knew that one day this would be implemented in the Republic of Cyprus as well," he noted.
For his part, the President of the Pancyprian Association of Gas Station Owners, Savvas Prokopiou, stated that today's mobilization concerns the decree of the Minister of Transport dated August 8, 2025. "On the basis of the decree, our tankers must be immobilized. We concluded on the 29th of last September, i.e. 1.5 months, that a transitional period was needed, which the government – through the European Commission – would try to secure for a period of five years. Something that the minister stopped, however, based on European directives, a transitional period is imposed from the moment the decree is issued," he added.
