Cyprus has achieved solutions to reduce the impact of the implementation of EU targets for reducing pollutants in aviation, Minister of Transport, Communications and Works Yannis Karousos said during the presentation of his ministry's budget to the Finance Committee of the House of Representatives.
Referring to the declaration of air connectivity by 2027 at EU level, he said that after study and relevant proposals, Cyprus achieved solutions that were approved in recognition of the specificity of Cyprus and island regions. In particular, the difference between the price of conventional fuel and biofuel will be 100% subsidised, with the provision of free emissions trading allowances for airlines. There were also, he said, some exemptions for airline refuelling for countries such as Cyprus and Malta, while there was a commitment by the European Commission to prepare a report on the impact of its policy on pollutants on island connectivity in 2027.
Karousos further said that the liberalisation of ground services at airports brought a benefit to airlines due to a 50% reduction in costs. He highlighted the positive results of the implementation of the new €165 million incentive plans for 2023-27 and said that the three planes announced to be based in Cyprus would bring an increase of 1.3 million seats.
Due to these developments, he said, in Cyprus there was no increase in ticket prices as in other countries.
The target, he said, is to increase passenger traffic by 52% by 2027 from 9 million to 13.7 million in 2027.
He noted that in terms of air routes there were 145 routes for 2022 plus seven announced a few days ago. He also referred to an upward trend in cruises which went from 9 thousand bookings in 2019 to 188 thousand in 2022, while for 2023 there were calls for 207 cruise ship arrivals compared to 106 in 2019.
The Minister also referred to the development of Larnaca Port and Marina, an investment of 1.2 billion. He said that the benefits would amount to €120 million per year, 600 berths and 4000 jobs would be created.
Increased budget for 2023
The Minister said that the budget for 2023 amounts to €469.45 million, which includes €35 million for Larnaca. euros co-funded projects, while noting that there is an increasing trend in the Ministry's budget which since 2015 which is about 82%.
"The government of Nicos Anastasiades can boast that it is implementing the biggest development policy our country has ever had and that important and long-awaited projects and investments, which were announced by the President of the Republic and which were a demand of local communities in all provinces for decades, are being implemented," he said.
He noted that the total number of development projects completed or under implementation and under tender is 1.78 billion euros. The project budget in the Recovery and Resilience Plan for 2022-26 is 143.8 million euros of which 89 million is for the Ministry of Transport and 54.8 million for other ministries.
He also said that the implementation rate of development expenditure is expected to exceed 82 percent in 2022 which is one of the highest rates in recent years.
Referring to the main projects under implementation, he mentioned among others the Astromeritis - Evrychou motorway, the Polis - Pafos motorway, the Nicosia perimeter road, the photocopying system, the Larnaca - Dhekelia and Deryneia Sotiras roads.
Among the main projects expected to be tendered in 2023, the new migrant centre in Lakes, the buildings that will house the three Ministries of Interior, Energy and Transport, the State Chemistry Department, the new building of the Legal Service and the project to resolve the subsidence in Pissouri and the second phase of the perimeter road.
He also said that the project for the new Cyprus Museum, at a cost of 144 million euros, will be completed by the end of the year. euros will be tendered and signed before the end of the year, while the project for the Paleochori - Nicosia motorway will be signed at the end of January.
Also under the Resilience and Recovery Plan, intelligent transport systems will be implemented, an electric vehicle recharging infrastructure will be created and the relevant market will be regulated with 10 dual rapid recharging points and 1000 recharging points by 2026. Sustainable mobility projects will also be undertaken and electrification in the public sector will be promoted through the purchase of electric vehicles.
New plans for subsidies and vehicle scrapping
The Minister also announced a new subsidy plan for the purchase of electric vehicles amounting to 30 million euros.[/B] to be announced in the coming weeks and a plan for the scrapping of polluting vehicles worth €15 million.
He also said that for the new electrification plan the procedure is changing and interested parties will have to attach a certificate from importers that they have been informed of the prices, since in the previous plans only a 20-25% rate was implemented.
The goal, the minister said, is that by 2035 all new registrations will be electric vehicles.
Regarding public passenger transport, he mentioned new contracts in all provinces, new buses, increased frequency of services.
He also said that the traffic problem is expected to be helped by the peripheral road with a 25% reduction in vehicles, flexible hours in the public sector which will be between 7-9 am, expanding the implementation of door-to-door bus transport for students, the new regional traffic control system and the introduction of intelligent transport systems.
He also mentioned a 72 million programme for bus stop shelters for which the tender is being finalised.
He also said that in public transport there were 22 million journeys in 2019 and it is expected to exceed 24 million journeys in 2022.
Photo-marking system solution to accidents
Regarding road safety, he mentioned measures such as the installation of photo-marking systems in all cities, vehicle road scanning, the fix Cyprus application, the launch of periodic testing for mopeds and motorcycles and the promotion of several pieces of legislation pending in the Transport Committee.
He said that in Nicosia the light marking system had played its part in reducing violations and accidents and the same results were now expected for the other provinces. Regarding the mobile cameras, he said that the networks where they will be present will be announced so that people will be careful.
MPs' Statements
The Chairman of the Transport Committee, PPP - Co-operation MP Marinos Mousiuttas said that there are indeed many projects that have been started and planned and for this fact he expressed satisfaction. At the same time, he said he asked the Minister questions about the traffic problem and how the sustainable mobility project can be expedited in all areas. He also said that the light signage system worked well but there are vulnerabilities that need to be resolved, such as the issue with the use of bus lanes. On the issue of Makarios Avenue, he said the Minister announced that an independent committee would be appointed to look into the matter and decide whether the problems in the area have increased or decreased.
DISY MP Fotini Tsiridou expressed satisfaction with the major projects being promoted in all provinces and made special reference to the highways. She expressed satisfaction with the promotion of the new Cypriot museum with a budget of 144 million and signed in December 2022. He also expressed satisfaction with the air connectivity with all the steps promoted by the Ministry of Transport. He also noted the great growth that exists in the cruise sector. At the same time, he said that respect for the environment and the promotion of electromobility is a fact with the highest funds across Europe.
AKEL MP Giannakis Gavriel said that by November the implementation rate of the Ministry's development projects was at 45%, while he noted that those announced last year are included in this year's budget to be announced again. He said the expenditures are recurring funds that have been announced for years, left on paper and carried over from year to year. He spoke of the government's inability to advertise major projects and provide meaningful solutions to problems such as traffic chaos and road safety issues. He added that improvements were presented by AKEL for vehicle withdrawal plans and for electric vehicles.
Source: CNA
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