Issues of understaffing of the Department of Road Transport and the lack of information to the Ministry of Transport were highlighted by the current and two former Directors General of the Ministry during their testimony on Thursday before the Investigative Committee on Takata airbags.
The first to be summoned before the committee was the current Director General of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, Marina Ioannou Hasapi, who, as she stated, has held the position in question since November 2024.
Asked by the chairman of the committee, Michalakis Christodoulou, whether she believes that proper supervision was exercised in the Department of Road Transport, given that it falls under the Ministry of Transport, Ms. Hasapi said that she is only able to speak about the period in which she is in her position and that she does not know what preceded it, adding that she has asked the Ministry's archive to locate all the relevant documents in order to deliver them to the committee.
Subsequently, responding to the questions sent to her by the committee, she said that since she took office, meetings had been held at the Ministry and any additional actions were discussed.
She noted that that initial period was characterized by a particularly increased workload due, as she said, to the briefing she had to receive as the new director general and the simultaneous process of completing the second phase of the airports that the Ministry had to handle. "I was in some meetings, there was mobility from the TOM and instructions were given by the Ministry," she added.
Regarding the issue of understaffing, he said that a letter was sent in December 2024 to the EDY in which the Ministry requested that priority be given to filling the position of Road Transport Officer, adding that it is still expected that positions on scales A9, A11 and A14 will be filled.
He added that since November 2024, 5 positions of Road Transport Officers, 7 positions of Auditors and 4 positions of Technicians have been filled, while in January 2025 he asked the directors of the Ministry's departments for comments on the effects of understaffing and suggestions for reducing bureaucracy.
Responding to a relevant question, Ms. Hasapi said that no gaps have been identified in terms of compliance with European Regulation 858/2018, adding, however, that the regulation itself presents gaps since it does not regulate in detail the recalls of "gray" vehicles.
When asked by the chairman of the committee whether she had identified in the files and the data she collected whether the Ministry or the TOM had identified a risk to road safety or whether they had held meetings on the issue in the past, Ms. Hasapi said that since November 2024, when she took office, and then there was mobilization in the Ministry, she has no idea what was happening before this period.
Asked by committee member and President of the Bar Association, Michalis Vorkas, whether inspections were being carried out on vehicles based on the regulation, Ms. Hasapi said that inspections were being carried out but on a very small scale due to serious understaffing, adding that there was no independent market supervision authority.
Subsequently, the former Director General of the Ministry, Antonis Koutsoullis, who served in the position between July 2023 and September 2024, was presented before the Committee.
As he mentioned, during his term there were understaffing problems at all levels, while the positions of all department directors were vacant, which were covered by deputy directors.
He added that during his tenure, all managerial positions were filled and an effort was made to fill as many of the remaining positions as possible.
Regarding the issue of recalls, he said that upon assuming his duties, he found that the Minister of Transport showed great interest in the TOM and the issue itself by holding frequent meetings, while in October 2023 he himself visited the Director of the TOM and they discussed the problems he was facing.
He added that meetings were also held with representatives of SEMIO-PASEA, during which, as he stated, "strong and opposing positions" were identified.
Regarding the issue of Takata airbags, Mr. Koutsoullis said that a relevant report was never presented to him, while expressing the view that the Ministry should be informed by the relevant competent authority and that they themselves never received official information.
Asked by Mr. Christodoulou whether there was supervision by the Ministry over the Department of Road Transport and the Electromechanical Services (EMS) to be aware of any road safety issues that arose, Mr. Koutsoullis said that his first contact with the issue of Takata airbags was when he took over as Director General of the Ministry.
He added that continuous meetings were held with the TOM and the progress of the recalls was monitored, noting at the same time that this is a "complex, intricate and specialized issue."
He also conveyed to the committee the position of the TOM that the responsibility for the risk assessment lies with the manufacturer, who must inform about which vehicles are not suitable for use.
He also agreed with the position of the committee chairman that the perception that TOM is limited to providing information about owners for the purpose of recalling cars.
In response to a question from the other member of the committee, Theodosios Hadjimichael, whether there is a process for informing the Ministry from the EHRs, the former DG of the Ministry said that it is up to each competent authority to decide what to notify, while he reiterated his position that in the event of an incident, there should be a final conclusion and the authority that draws it up should subsequently inform the Ministry.
Asked by Mr. Vorkas if there was any information about the delay in implementing the recalls, Mr. Koutsoullis said that there was constant information about the progress of the recalls and that the pace of replacement accelerated after he took office. He reiterated the position of the TOM regarding the manufacturer's responsibility regarding the risk assessment, with Mr. Vorkas questioning what the state's responsibility was at a time when "two children died and another was disfigured by the airbag explosion."
Third in line to be summoned before the committee was the former Director General of the Ministry of Transport, Stavros Michael, who served as head of the Ministry's administrative hierarchy between December 2018 and June 2022.
Asked by the chairman of the committee whether the TOM and the EMH have a responsibility to inform the Ministry about the problems they identify, Mr. Michael said that during his tenure, regular meetings were held with all departments and information was provided on the actions that needed to be taken.
When asked if there was any information from the TOM about the global Takata airbag replacement campaign, Mr. Michael responded negatively, adding that there was information on issues such as bus safety and the expansion of workshops for vehicle technical inspection.
"The recalls were not discussed, I was informed afterwards about a letter-circular from the TOM in 2017 to distributors regarding the recall process," he added, adding that he first heard about the Takata case in 2023 and that he had not been informed about the accident that occurred in 2017.
The process will continue tomorrow, Friday, May 16 at 10 a.m., with the summons of the former Deputy Director General at the Ministry of Transport, Yiannis Nikolaidis.
Source: KYPE
