Government ‘has the will’ to implement reform

Challenges to the implementation of local government reform will be resolved with the help of parliament, Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou said on Tuesday following a meeting on the issue with party leaders at the Presidential Palace.

The meeting was chaired by President Nikos Christodoulides, and saw party heads updated on the troubled issue.

The president, as well as interior minister, assured of the will of the government to proceed with the existing legislation as has been passed by the House.

Ioannou noted there are less than 100 days left until the implementation of the reform, which is why it was deemed appropriate to provide an update on the basis of the road map prepared by his ministry.

“We are in a good way. There are some challenges in the coming months and that’s why we asked for the assistance of parliament to resolve any problems decisively,” the minister said.

The challenges concern securing buildings to house the districts’ self-governing authorities, training of staff, and completion of the ‘Evagoras’ data system software.

“We emphasised once again that the role of the ministry in the reform is [a supportive one] through the central advisory committee. We stand by the municipalities and the elected officials to support them in their work, whether [in relation to the] software, organisational charts, or budgets,” the minister said.

According to Ioannou, the president also reiterated the will of the government to implement the bill as it had been passed and his determination for success in the matter.

“We believe that in collaboration with parliament, but also the mayors, we will be able to overcome any problems that may arise,” the minister added.

It is everyone’s understanding that the legislation is not ideal and problems regarding it had been identified ahead of time, and brought to parliament since last June, the minister said.

“We have a road ahead of us, this is what we are called to implement in the time after the elections, [for] any problems, we have the will, the mood, [and] the determination to solve [them as they] appear, always in cooperation with parliament, which at the end of the day is the legislator,” Ioannou added.

Asked about concerns over the process, the minister noted that in any major reform there is always concern.

“Had we no concerns we would be in trouble,” he said, adding, “We are concerned, as I have pointed out [as] our role is mainly supportive, with the exception of licensing where our contribution is large. That’s why we have hired 87 people so far, [to help] simplify the process.”

The minister said the fact that in some districts no buildings have yet been found was a worry, but added that the responsibilities were not the ministry’s and there was no question of assigning them.

“We cannot intervene to secure buildings. What we can do is to put pressure on the provisional councils,” he noted.

Though not ideal “the reform is definitely better than the existing system”, Ioannou said. “I repeat, and I want to be clear, as the executive branch, [we] assure that we will implement the legislation as it has been passed.”