By July 2019, the Provincial Complexes should start operating, while at the same time, the corresponding number of municipalities should be reduced, from thirty today to 22. This is clearly recorded through the Roadmap for Local Government Reform, which was prepared by the Ministry of Interior and submitted to the last session of the Parliamentary Committee on Interior by the general director of the ministry, Konstantinos Nikolaidis.
Through the note of the Ministry of Interior, the main time milestones for the implementation of the reform are recorded.
According to the road map, the legislative framework regarding the operation of the Local Government in Cyprus should be voted in the Plenary Session of the Parliament by next December and the relevant legislations should be implemented from January. At the same time, the areas in which the District Complexes will be established and the Advisory Committees for the implementation of the reform should be established.
Specifically, based on the schedule that has been set:
April 2017: Decision-making based on the recommendations of Advisory Committees for participation in the provision of common services.
May 2017: Adopt regulations for the establishment, operation and definition of common services.
June 2017: Functioning of the Joint Services Management Council.
June 2017: Provision of common services.
December 2017: Completion of an organizational structure study for the District Complexes.
January 2018: Establishment of Provincial Councils.
June 2018: Approval of regulations of District Complexes.
June 2019: Implementation of organizational structure for the Provincial Complexes.
July 2019: Operation of District Complexes. As it is known, the debate on the bill is in progress in the Parliamentary Committee on Interior, which is expected to complete its work by the end of October, when the final bill will be submitted for a vote in the Plenary Session of the Parliament. As reported at the last meeting of the Committee, the President of the Republic had asked the parties in the meeting with the leaders of the political parties that the bill be passed by November.