Meeting held to untangle local govt reform package

The interior ministry held a consultation on Friday with the union of municipalities to try and untangle the local government reform package.

After about a decade of haggling, parliament on March 3 passed the package which created 20 municipalities (down from 30) as well as 30 local council clusters, but MPs split the Akamas communities – a move the president decided not to challenge.

Friday’s meeting set out to draw up a roadmap for the full implementation – which will run through to May 2024 – and prepare a presentation for the union of municipalities set for May 4.

Head of the union Andreas Vyras praised the efforts but emphasised that for the reforms to succeed everyone must play as a team.

The road ahead appears bumpy, however, as parliament rejected the initial package which saw several Akamas municipalities splintered off from each other – a major demarcation from the initial plans for them to unite under one banner.

President Nicos Anastasiades decided not to challenge the law but suggested MPs will eventually have to reverse the change themselves.