In two camps, the businessmen of Famagusta

By Marinos Pavlikas *

The business world of Famagusta is divided into two camps. Entrepreneurs operating in free Famagusta share their position with the entrepreneurs-members of the Famagusta Chamber of Commerce and Industry and request the creation of a Regional Chamber in the free province.

Old story

The feud between free businessmen of Famagusta and members of EVEA lasts for years. As early as 2012, members of the official Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Famagusta, including the Mayor of Paralimni, Theodoros Pyrillis, broke away by founding the Tourist, Commercial and Industrial Company of Famagusta demanding equal treatment of free Famagusta.

The company was founded on December 18, 2012 at a provincial assembly in Paralimni, thus realizing the need, according to the rapporteurs of the founding assembly, for the establishment of an economic organization that will represent the free Province of Famagusta in the decision-making centers.

The company was founded with the consent and practical support of the Mayors and Commune Mayors of the free province of Famagusta, while according to the declaration of creation, the following goals were set:

1. The liberation of the city, the Province of Famagusta and the whole of Cyprus.
2. The transfer to the Province of Famagusta, of all state services and bodies of Famagusta such as the District Administration, the Court, the Land Registry, the Town Planning and all generally the state services of the Province until the liberation of the Famagusta Diocese.
3. Defending the interests of the Free Province of Famagusta against the unequal treatment it receives compared to the other Provinces.
4. Claiming funds from the state development budget in proportion to the contribution of the Province to GDP.
5. The creation of a Development Company of the Province of Famagusta to claim European funds from the competitive programs of the European Union.
6. The promotion of Tourism, Trade, Industry, Services and generally any business activity in the Province of Famagusta that will contribute to economic development and improve the living standards of its inhabitants.

The province of Famagusta is marginalized

According to the President of the Famagusta Tourism, Commercial and Industrial Society, Petros Petrou, the main reason for the secession of EVEA members and the establishment of the new company was the headquarters and activity of the Chamber in Limassol, ignoring, according to him, the free province Famagusta.

Moreover, the voices of the local authorities of free Famagusta for marginalization of the province are frequent, as it still lacks basic services, such as the strengthening of the departments of the district court of Famagusta and their transfer from Larnaca to free Famagusta, the full transfer also of the Government Departments, Land Registry and Urban Planning, the elaboration of a unified local plan and the designation as urban centers of Paralimni and Ayia Napa, in a province which offers more than 18% of GDP.

EVEA: "The doors are open"

Both the President of EVEA, Augustinos Papathomas and the former President, George Mavroudis, referring to the fact of the establishment of TEVEA in free Famagusta, noted that the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Famagusta is the only official Provincial Chamber that operates its Cyprus Chamber of Commerce with the Federation of Commerce and Industry in 1963.

Mr. Mavroudis told "S" that any reactions put forward by various businessmen aim to harm the interests of the business world and the issue of the occupied city of Famagusta itself. He noted, however, that the 43-year-old problem of the refugee issue of Famagusta, led to the appeal of the Chamber itself, which maintains its temporary headquarters in Limassol, with a branch that has been operating since 1996 in Paralimni.

The demands

In a letter sent on November 4th to the Minister of Energy, Trade, Industry and Tourism, the members of the Famagusta Tourism, Commercial and Industrial Society request its transformation into a Regional Chamber.

The same request was submitted again in May 2014, based on Law No. 56/68 on Chambers of Commerce and Industry. The request, in fact, is supported not by political but by legal arguments:

1. Article 3 (1) of the Law states that “The Minister by decree in the official gazette of the Republic determines the regions in each of which is established and operates in compliance with the provisions of paragraph (2) of Article 9 in a chamber in this Law referred to as the local chamber ”.
2. According to article 2 of the above Law, the word region is interpreted as "The local region for which the chamber is established and operates".
3. In accordance with the provisions of Article 5 (2) it is stated that the members of the chamber are the "merchants and industrialists within the region" and
4. Article 4 (2) of the law states that upon request the Minister determines "the name and the establishment within the defined region".

These legal arguments are the basis of TEVEA's request for its transformation into a regional chamber in free Famagusta, as it is claimed that the purpose of the chamber is to promote the interests of professionals in a specific region, locally and no mention is made, not even of national origin of its members, nor for political or other similar issues, while there is also talk of the statutes of the chambers across Cyprus in which there is a provision that in order to register as a member one must be professionally active within the territorial area where the respective chamber is located.

At the same time, the consequences to which, according to the members of TEVEA, the free province of Famagusta is subject today are projected, in which, as they claim, among others:

1. The absence of the representation of the businessmen of the living province of Famagusta in the CCCI and their non-participation in the important decisions that affect the policy of the respective Government,
2. The participation in public consultations that is required if they are done by the various consultations, are represented by people who do not have business activity in the province of Famagusta,
3. The lack of a mechanism for certification of the products of the industries of the Province with the result that the businessmen of Famagusta seek solutions in other provinces,
4. The exclusion of businessmen from the province of Famagusta (members of TEVEA) from official and regular business missions of the state abroad, co-financed by the state itself,
5. The lack of a promoter of entrepreneurship and entrepreneurs in the free province, moved it from the third place it held in per capita income (according to official data of the Statistical Service) to the fifth and last place.

At the same time, the letter complains to the members of TEVEA that in the missions abroad that are made to attract foreign investments, no investment for the province of Famagusta is promoted or advertised.

They are preparing a nationwide protest

According to the President of TEVEA, Petros Petrou, a series of consultations has been held by TEVEA with the aim of identifying the issues that concern the businessmen of free Famagusta and the inclusion of the company in the official Chamber of Famagusta province, which now operates in new basis, but this, according to him, has not been achieved so far.

Therefore, the members of TEVEA are preparing within December a provincial rally in which both businessmen and residents of free Famagusta will participate, where they will express their dissatisfaction against the Government for the marginalization of the province of Famagusta but also for the recognition of the Famagusta region. chamber.

TODAY's Sunday 26/11/2017