AKEL stands by the environmental organisations to raise the issue of Akamas at a European level

Statement by Christina Nicolaou, Head of the Energy and Environmental Policy of AKEL

29 January 2024, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

The references in the European Parliament on the violations of environmental legislation and the planned projects in the Akamas peninsula, which were made by environmental organisations and will be debated in the European Parliament in mid-February, demonstrate the seriousness of the issue.

It is no coincidence that the Akamas issue will be discussed once again at a European level. Nor are we surprised by the European Commission’s position to refer Cyprus to the European Court of Justice.

This is not the first and, it seems, not the last time that the Republic of Cyprus has violated the European environmental acquis. The decisions of the Nicos Christodoulides government have put Cyprus in an embarrassing position in the EU, while several cases pending against Cyprus for breaches of the environmental acquis.

The President of the Republic must do what is necessary first and foremost to ensure the protection of Akamas and to resolve the significant problems that have arisen from the erroneous planning of the National Forest Park. We expect transparency and accountability where and when it is due with the publication of the relevant administrative inquiry.

AKEL and AKEL’s MEP’s will stand by the environmental organisations to raise the issue at a European level and force the government to take appropriate measures to restore and preserve Akamas and the nature of our land, even at this late stage.