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- Ελληνικά
A series of separate meetings with the Provisional Coordinating Councils of the Provincial Self-Government Organisations (POAs) was launched today by the Minister of Interior Mr.Constantinos Ioannou. The meetings are being held in preparation for the implementation of the Local Government Reform from 1 July 2024. The first meeting was held today with the Larnaca EDA, while the meetings with the EDAs of Limassol, Paphos, Nicosia and Famagusta will follow in the coming weeks.
The main topic of today's meeting was the transfer of the responsibility for development licensing at the provincial level to the EDAs from 1 July 2024. It is noted that after evaluating the various options, it was deemed more appropriate for the EIAs to assume full responsibility for issuing planning and building permits, including applications received and/or pending consideration by the existing Authorities by 30 June 2024.
At the same time, the meeting raised the issue of staffing the EIAs with appropriately qualified personnel, so that they are able to adequately meet their responsibilities from their first day of operation. Initially, the EOAs will be staffed with personnel that will emerge through secondments and/or service agreements from existing staff of the Department of Planning and Zoning and the Municipalities, which currently function as planning and building authorities.
In addition, a decision of the Council of Ministers in October 2023 promoted the strengthening of the existing planning and building authorities with the recruitment of Employees of Indefinite Duration (EEA). A total of 105 EEA to be recruited from January 2024 will be assigned to the various planning and building authorities, with the aim of training and processing a number of applications pending for consideration before the existing authorities.
It is also recalled that, following a consultation with the ETEK, 22 actions and measures to simplify the procedure for examining planning applications have been launched with a timeframe for implementation on 1 July 2024, with the main change promoted being the abolition, through legislation, of the obligation to obtain planning and building permits for small developments (houses and apartment buildings of up to 12 apartments). In the context of the operation of the EIAs, the implementation of these measures, together with the recruitment of 105 new employees, is expected to modernise the existing procedures by introducing a more flexible licensing framework, which will reduce the time needed to process applications and improve service to citizens.
(MCI)
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