Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Petros Xenophontos attends the Parliamentary Committee on the Environment
Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Petros Xenophontos had his first meeting with the Chairman and members of the Parliamentary Committee on the Environment today. The Minister had the opportunity to present the priorities of the Government and the Ministry with regard to environmental issues. As Mr. Xenophontos said in his statements after the meeting, the meeting was held in a constructive atmosphere and both sides expressed their willingness to further develop the already good communication, with the aim of taking effective decisions on the environment in the interest of citizens and future generations.
The Minister acknowledged that the challenges in the field of the environment are many and complex. "For the Christodoulides Government, the implementation of policies focusing on the preservation of the environment is a high priority, with the ultimate goal of turning Cyprus into a clean, green country, with proper management of natural resources, within the framework of the circular economy, where the environment will be protected and preserved for the generations of today and the future," said Mr. Xenophontos.
1. Management of the Pendakomou EIA
Subsequently, the competent Minister, summarizing the priorities that have been set, referred primarily to the issue of the Pendakomou EIA, saying that "there is a major problem, which we have undertaken to solve with a modern strategy and we will inform Parliament about the steps we will take". The aim is to upgrade the unit to make it proper and productive in the context of waste management in Cyprus.
2. Relocation of asphalt units
With regard to the relocation of asphalt units, the Minister stressed that for purposes of development and maintenance of the road network and for the safe transport of persons and services, there is a need for asphalt units. "Inevitably they have to be installed somewhere and this is what we are trying, in cooperation with all stakeholders, to resolve in order to finally finalize this problem that exists," Mr. Xenophontos explained.
3. Akamas National Forest Park
Regarding the Akamas National Forest Park, the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment noted that several things have been done. However, he continued, the issue of compensatory measures remains outstanding. "A working group has been appointed, which has started the process and will deliver its recommendations to the inter-ministerial committee around the end of June, with costed incentives to be given to both communities and owners of agricultural land."
4. Protection of forests from fires
Our goal, Mr. Xenophontos stressed, is for all relevant departments of the state to prepare a comprehensive study regarding the volatile means and all other fire-fighting means available to the Republic of Cyprus, so that there will be a holistic and effective response to fires next year. He added that for this year's fire season "we are ready and we are working intensively so that we receive the volatile means so that we can deal with the fires from 1 May."
5. Sewerage projects
Regarding the progress of the sewerage projects, the Minister noted that there is a steady progress so that by 2030 we will be able to complete the ongoing projects.
6. General Directorate of Environment
The purpose of the General Directorate of Environment is to create an Authority so that we can fully meet our aspirations and objectives on climate change and the environment through better and more efficient operation of structures. Xenophontos noted that at this stage there is nothing to be announced, and added that in the coming days a meeting will be held with the Ministers of Interior and Finance to determine the next objectives and parameters.
(MKY)
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