The transfer of forest firefighting duties to the interior ministry was a mistake, Akel leader Stefanos Stefanou said on Thursday during a meeting with the forestry department union.

“This decision is wrong, and therefore the government must reverse it. We must seriously examine how to protect the country from natural disasters, which, according to all scientific data, will increase in the coming years,” he said, adding that the matter comes down to setting priorities.

The forestry department union also expressed strong opposition, emphasising that the separation of wildfire protection from overall forest management is both impractical and dangerous.

Stefanou noted that such important decisions should result from study and consultation between competent bodies – particularly those with operational crisis management experience.

During the meeting, issues concerning fire prevention, preparedness and extinguishing were also discussed, as well as the need of creating appropriate infrastructure and covering fire department’s staffing needs.

Akel has submitted the matter ex officio to the parliamentary agriculture committee so that the implications of the transfer can be examined in full during the debate scheduled for November 18.

Earlier in September, President Nikos Christodoulides was urged by former directors of the forestry department to overturn his decision of transferring forest fire fighting duties to the interior ministry.

Since most forest firefighters are permanent forestry department staff who alternate between firefighting in summer and forest management tasks in winter, the president’s decision is considered highly disruptive, as no personnel are dedicated exclusively to fire protection.