With a stern message on the need to submit their 2022 budgets on time, the Parliament approved the expenditure of public law legal entities for February 2022.
The unanimous decision of the House of Assembly to approve the February 12 budget noted that it was not possible to submit to the House of Representatives or for the House of Representatives to study and approve these budgets before December 31, 2021, but it is necessary to continue the services provided by the above-mentioned legal entities under public law.
For these reasons, the House of Representatives grants its authorization to make an expenditure for the month of February of the year 2022 of an amount not exceeding the portion of the total amount provided for in the budget for the year 2021 of each legal person governed by public law that is attributable to the same period.
This authorization is given on the condition that no expenditure shall be made for any new services or purposes and that no new positions shall be filled until the final approval by the House of Representatives of the budget of each public law entity for the year 2022.
Strict message from the Speaker of the Parliament and MPs
A strict message was sent to all those responsible by the Speaker of the Parliament Anita Demetriou as well as the Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Finance, DIKO MP Christiana Erotokritou and other MPs.
Demetriou noted that it is totally unacceptable that 18 budgets of semi-governmental organizations are pending, including the AHK, the Ports Authority, RIK, the Public Expenditure Fund, the Commissioner for the Regulation of Electronic Communications, the Youth Organization, OAI, the Addiction Treatment Authority and RAEK.
He said this was the last call made by the House and that the House had no authority or responsibility to call for the tabling of budgets. She added that she does not know who is responsible for this delay, but she will not be deprived of the House's right to exercise its role effectively and warned that we are facing the prospect of some people being left unpaid.
Erotorkitou noted that only one budget of a semi-governmental organisation has been tabled in the House as of today's tabling, while 18 budgets are pending. She noted that the passage of the 12-member bill in February ends any constitutional ability of the House to fund these agencies.
She added that they sent a letter to the Ministry of Finance last week on the issue. At the same time, he noted that what is happening is a contempt of the House of Representatives. He also said that budgets of hundreds of millions cannot be considered in four sessions. Stating that he does not know where the responsibility lies, he noted that some people are putting the functioning of the budgets in a very doubtful climate. At the same time, she said that the Finance Committee will not prioritise what it has to execute because there are no timely submitted budgets of semi-governmental organisations.
AKEL MP Irini Charalambidou said that at some point the House should draw red lines, those who should take responsibility should take responsibility and that the House is the last one to take responsibility.
AKEL MP Giorgos Loukaidis suggested that the issue be discussed at the leaders' meeting and perhaps the practice of "name and shame" should be followed once it is established whether the boards of the organisations or the responsible ministry are responsible for the delay.
DIKO MP Pavlos Mylonas added that similarly the officials of the Ministry of Finance may have found themselves in the need to do thorough audits and may not be able to fulfill their obligation.
PPP-Cooperation MP Alekos Tryfonidis said that the final responsibility lies with the competent Minister who supervises the respective Board of Directors.
The MP of the Movement of Ecologists - Citizens' Co-operation Stavros Papadouris said that the House should finally take decisions on something that has been going on for years. He added that it seems that those who run the organisations feel that they do not have any responsibility.
Source: CNA
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