Cyprus was in the center of the international scandal after the report of the country's account revealed systemic environmental violations and managerial failures at the Ministry of Agriculture, the development of the village and the environment.
The results of the audit have already caused the initiation of several court cases in the European Court and can lead to significant financial sanctions by the European Union.
Currently, Cyprus is involved in two key trials in the European Court. One of them concerns a violation of the Directive on Hail Wednesdays: despite the EU recommendations, the country did not approve specific measures to protect nature, and the obligations to prepare 27 decrees have not been fulfilled until now.
A more serious situation is related to the failure to fulfill the court decision from 2013 on the reclamation of landfills in Vati and Cutisi. The EU again demands to impose financial sanctions, since 12 years have passed, and restoration work has not been completed. In May 2025, the European Union repeatedly sent the case to court, emphasizing that the tightening threatens even greater fines.
The audit revealed numerous cases of construction in protected natural areas, including Akamas on the peninsula. In the area of Kuklia, there was a change in the status of state land in the interests of a private company, while the planned exchange of plots was not completed. Despite the cancellation of the project, the plots have retained preferential status - the case is currently being investigated by the police.
Also in Akamas, restaurants and cafes without permits continue to work, even despite official demolition instructions. The court in the district Paphos in early 2025 examined the next case and decided to demolish the illegal construction if the corresponding permit was not received within two months.
Special attention of the auditors attracted cases of benefits to companies related to politically significant persons. For example, in the Agia-Belly (Famagusta district), one of the tourist buildings belonging to a person with political status was erected without permissions. The court canceled the refusal to issue a license, noting insufficient argumentation in environmental examination.
At the facility, additional floors were illegally supreme, and the houses for relaxation began to be built without the necessary approval. Similar violations were identified in projects on rivers and near reservoirs, where work was carried out without permits, including the creation of artificial lakes and structures in floodplains.
Some objects continue to function even after court decisions on demolition. So, in the protected zone Natura 2000, a large livestock complex has been working illegally by Timis since 2015. Although the court decided to demolish the buildings, they are still not dismantled, and the case is transferred to the anti -corruption administration.
Even state projects were in the center of scandals. For example, the construction of an eco -center in Lakatamia started without a mandatory environmental examination, despite direct instructions from the relevant department. A similar situation occurred with a 11.8-kilometer project in the Pedi Park, where construction began without evaluating environmental impacts.
Regular fires at waste processing facilities in the Geri-Yidalion area, including the installation of hazardous waste disposal, caused serious concern among the population. After the next fire in December 2024, the authorities introduced a ban on access to the facility before the end of security measures.
The audit also revealed gross financial inconsistencies in the department of water household: lack of accounting for payments, errors in the readings of meters, payment without confirming documents and dubious transactions for hundreds of thousands of euros. Unreasonable reduction in rent at the Research Institute of Agriculture, as well as the extension of contracts without tenders, were recorded.
The improvement of the park on the territory of the salt lakes of Larnaki - a unique object in the NATURA 2000 network - took place without proper environmental imprisonment. The work was suspended after the intervention of environmental departments to minimize damage to the local fauna.
The general auditor Andreas Papakostostanno firmly commented on the situation.
“Inexplicable delays in the executive of environmental directives of the EU were identified. Cyprus authorities show unwillingness to take urgent measures to eliminate violations that threaten not only the environment, but also trust in the country's management system. ”
The Accounts Chamber calls on the Ministry of Agriculture and all responsible services immediately eliminate system failures and restore the rule of law in the field of nature protection and resource management.
Source: In-CyPrus.philenews.com
