New green points in Famagusta district remain closed because the Famagusta District Local Government Organisation (DLGO) has refused to take them over, fearing local authorities will not pay their share of the running costs, the House Environment Committee heard. The Interior Ministry has committed to deducting the costs from councils’ state grants and paying them directly to the DLGO.
Kostas Konstantinou, director general of the General Directorate of the Environment, told the committee that four green points had been built in the district, in Deryneia, Sotira, Avgorou and Ayia Napa. The contractor has handed over three of them, while work on the Deryneia site is due to be completed at the end of the month. Three of the sites were co-funded by EU recovery money, which could be at risk if they do not open soon.
He said the Famagusta DLGO had refused to accept and run the sites, raising serious concerns and showing reluctance to take on the responsibility. The problem, he said, lay in its inability, or fear of being unable, to secure the necessary financial contribution from municipalities and communities in the area to cover operating costs.
Interior Ministry representative Antonis Oikonomides told the committee that the running costs of the Famagusta sites would be deducted directly from the state grant local authorities receive and paid to the organisation. The aim is to ensure uninterrupted funding, with each authority paying what it owes through deductions.
The Agriculture Ministry will also help under the plan by supplying the equipment needed to run the sites.
The three co-funded green points, all except Deryneia, were financed through the Recovery and Resilience Plan. Strict on-the-spot checks by the European Commission begin in 2027, and there is a risk of losing the funding and facing sanctions for breaching EU targets.
