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- Ελληνικά
It is with great pleasure and honour that I accepted your invitation to attend and address the proceedings of today's seminar, as well as your proposal to put it under the auspices of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order.
The organization of today's seminar, like the one that preceded it two days ago in Limassol, is a continuation of the very constructive and productive meeting we had at the Ministry of Justice and Public Order, during which we discussed ways and good practices to simplify and speed up the consultation procedures with the Fire Protection Department of the Fire Service regarding the conditions for fire protection measures for a building, without this in any way implying a deviation from the statutory safety standards.
The safety of a building does not only concern its structural adequacy, but also its fire protection, therefore the correct application and compliance with the fire protection regulations is a measure which is high on the priorities of the Fire Service, since the safety of the citizen in the event of a fire is the primary objective.
The large increase in the number of tall buildings, primarily in the Limassol District but also in the Nicosia District, and the need to take special preventive measures for fire protection purposes has been of particular concern to the Ministry of Justice and Public Order and in cooperation with the Fire Service we have proceeded with the drafting of a relevant regulation for the inspection and certification of the good functioning of all passive and active fire protection systems of such common buildings, so that it can be included in the bill prepared by the Ministry of Interior entitled "The Management of Common Buildings and Related Matters Act of 2022".
This submission has been sent to the NRC for any views and I am confident that your assistance in filling this gap that we have identified will be catalytic.
The Fire Service is making every effort, within its capabilities, to reduce the time taken to process and review applications submitted, both through the introduction of an electronic submission process for licensing applications, particularly in relation to routine developments, and by strengthening its logistical infrastructure. In addition, the intention of the Directorate of the Fire Service is with the new recruitments and with the redistribution of staff the Fire Safety Department will be further strengthened with human resources.
I will close by stating the obvious. Prevention always costs less than the cost of suppressing a fire and repairing the damage afterwards.
Thank you and I wish you every success in the work of the seminar.
(NΓ/ΣΧ)
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