Nicosia: The Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment has announced the implementation of a comprehensive plan to ensure Cyprus aligns with EU waste management directives. This initiative aims to address the country’s long-standing non-compliance with European goals and regulations concerning waste management, as stated by the current administration under Nikos Christodoulides.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the European Commission has taken steps to refer Cyprus to the Court of Justice of the EU for a second time due to its failure to comply with an earlier decision regarding the landfills in Vati and Kotsiatis. This referral includes a call for the imposition of fines. In response, the Ministry has developed a plan, approved by the Council of Ministers in August 2024, which incorporates a network for both mixed and separately collected waste processing plants, alongside upgrades to existing infrastructure within a defined timeframe.
The Ministry also reported informing the European Commission in September 2024 about its actions and timelines concerning the restoration of illegal landfills. In addition, the Ministry addressed a reasoned opinion from the Commission regarding Cyprus and ten other EU member states’ failure to transpose the Directive 2023/958 on revised EU ETS rules for the aviation sector. The Ministry confirmed that a bill has been approved by the Cabinet and submitted to the House of Representatives on January 23, 2025, to rectify this issue.