The dialogue for the Municipalities proceeds with the Italian model

CEB1 15 News, Nea Famagusta
With the new year, the debate in the Parliament for the reform of the Local Self-Government in Cyprus is expected to start, said yesterday the president of the Union of Municipalities, Alexis Galanos. He also stated that the reform is proceeding based on the Italian model that provides for municipal complexes and merging services.

CEB1 1704 News, Nea Famagusta

Speaking at a press conference for the 32nd Annual General Assembly of the Union of Municipalities on Tuesday, Mr. Galanos said that the government has already sent a bill to Parliament, with the Union of Municipalities continuing contacts with the Minister of Interior in an effort to find some consensual solutions to this.

He admitted that there was progress in these meetings, saying that significant legal gaps and omissions were accepted and controversial points concerning the future operation of the Municipalities were removed.

"There is a general perception that we are moving forward with the Italian plan, not literally, but in terms of the evolutionary form of the complexes," he said.

As the president of the Association of Municipalities explained, the model that is promoted provides the solution of complexes of three types, Municipalities, communities as well as mixed. He added that the specific complexes will be determined by regulations, which will proceed at the same time as the bill.

He added that the issue of provincial complexes and a single urban planning authority based on provincial complexes is still being discussed, while the minister raised the issue of a single urban and building authority. He said that the important thing is to give depth of time of implementation and development of the new model.

Mr. Galanos then referred to the finances of the Municipalities, saying that nothing can move forward with the new model unless there is a radical solution to the financial problems that the Municipalities face today. The discussion in the Home Affairs Committee, as he said, is expected to start in January.

Source: Liberal