The European Commission announced on Wednesday that it is referring Cyprus to the Court of Justice of the European Union for a second time, citing failure to comply with a previous ruling regarding the closure and rehabilitation of illegal landfills in Vati and Kotsiatis. The Commission has also requested the imposition of financial penalties.
In response, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment stated that Cyprus is actively implementing a comprehensive waste management plan designed to bring the country into full compliance with EU environmental regulations.
“The need to end Cyprus’ long-standing deviation from European goals and laws on waste constitutes a priority of the administration of Nikos Christodoulides,” the ministry said in a press release issued Wednesday evening.
The ministry emphasized that the plan, approved by the Council of Ministers in August 2024, includes the development of a nationwide network of waste processing facilities for both mixed and separately collected waste. It also involves upgrading existing infrastructure within a defined timeframe.
Furthermore, the ministry noted that it had informed the European Commission in September 2024 about its action plan and timeline for addressing the illegal landfills in question.
On a separate issue, the ministry addressed a reasoned opinion sent by the Commission to Cyprus and ten other member states for failing to fully transpose Directive 2023/958 on revised EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) rules for the aviation sector. The directive had a transposition deadline of 31 December 2023. According to the ministry, the relevant bill was approved by the Cabinet and submitted to the House of Representatives on 23 January 2025.
( Source : CNA )
