A government bill aimed at regulating Easter bonfires faced overwhelming opposition in today’s parliamentary legal committee meeting, with multiple stakeholders raising fundamental concerns that effectively nullify the proposal.
Both lawmakers and representatives from the Union of Municipalities and Communities stated that local authorities neither have the capability nor the resources to control fires or gather identification information from young people for potential prosecution.
The Union of Municipalities took a firm position that they could only assist authorities with bonfire matters as they do currently, rather than issue permits and monitor compliance with licensing conditions. Their representatives described the bill as “fundamentally flawed” and suggested the police and fire service should assume control responsibilities instead.
Andreas Kettis, spokesperson for the Cyprus Fire Service, highlighted growing concerns regarding bonfire incidents, presenting data showing a significant increase in related callouts. According to the statistics provided, while the service responded to 126 bonfire-related incidents in 2021, this figure rose dramatically to 313 in 2024.
AKEL MP Aristos Damianou pointed to inconsistencies in the legislative approach, noting that parliament had already passed legislation prohibiting fires within residential areas. He questioned whether mayors could legally authorise fires on private property without owner consent.
Committee chairman Nicos Tornaritis concluded that the bill could not proceed “for a thousand and one reasons” and indicated that a new legislative proposal compatible with the existing legal framework would be prepared to address the issue.
Following these developments, the bill has been effectively shelved.
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