On Thursday, the Parliamentary Committee on Internal Affairs began its debate on the reform of the civil protection sector and the renaming of the Ministry of the Interior to the Ministry of the Interiorand Civil Protection. The Ministry of Defense has expressed a different approach, advocating for the creation of a national crisis management mechanism that should report to the Council of Ministers, along with the simultaneous establishment of a permanent national center for the management of all crises.
In his introductory remarks on behalf of the Minister of the Interior, Konstantinos Ioannou, the Ministry’s Director General, Ilias Elikkos, said that this is a significant reform for the security and resilience of the Republic of Cyprus. When asked about the disagreement with the Ministry of Defense, he said that certain provisions of the bill have been amended and the differences between the two ministries have been narrowed, adding that the outstanding issues would be examined by the two ministers and would be revisited during the article-by-article debate.
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Mr. Ilias, in presenting the bills, said that it was a common conclusion following the recent crises that a more cohesive civil protection system is needed, as well as unified planning and a clear division of roles to ensure the rapid mobilization of the relevant agencies and forces.
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He described this year’s experience with the institution of the General Coordinator for Major Fire Response as positive, noting that it highlighted the value of unified operational coordination.
“The government’s goal is to transform this effective practice into a permanent, legally established, and comprehensive civil protection system that can be activated for any major crisis and for all risks faced by the government,” he emphasized.
He added that with the passage of the bill, the Ministry will be renamed the Ministry of the Interior and Civil Protection, and a General Directorate of Civil Protection will be established as the main administrative and organizational pillar of the new system.
He added that a central element is the National Civil Protection Mechanism, which serves as the coordination system for all relevant departments and stakeholders, as well as the National Civil Protection Coordinator, who, during a civil protection emergency, will have sole responsibility for the operational coordination of the forces involved in responding to a crisis, while provisions are made, among other things, for the revision of specific national plans, the strengthening of training and preparedness, and the establishment of a permanent Scientific Council for Civil Protection, so that our decisions are based even more on scientific knowledge and risk analysis.
“What is needed is a national civil protection system that can better prevent disasters and prepare in a timely manner, mobilize available resources in a coordinated manner, respond decisively when necessary, and effectively address the consequences of a disaster,” he noted.
Subsequently, the Committee Chair, AKEL MP Aristos Damianou, asked what the Ministry’s position is regarding the disagreement with the Ministry of Defense and the transfer of the Forestry Department, as well as what the government’s policy intention is regarding the date the law will take effect.
In response, Mr. Ilias said that certain provisions of the bill had been amended and the disagreement between the two ministries had been narrowed, adding that the outstanding issues will be examined by the two ministers and will be revisited during the article-by-article debate.
Regarding the Forestry Department, he said that the Ministry’s proposal is to transfer the Fire Department, adding that, in a second phase, the feasibility of transferring part of the Forestry Department’s activities and personnel for firefighting purposes will be examined.
Regarding the process, he noted that there are difficulties in timely advancing the budget for January 2027; otherwise a supplemental budget will be submitted in June 2027.
In the discussion that followed, the representative of the Legal Service, Alexia Kalispera, spoke of a complex legal review during which no issues requiring resolution were identified, while noting that the institution of the National Coordinator will be activated only upon the declaration of a civil protection state.
On behalf of the Ministry of Defense, the Director of the Central Service for Civil Emergency Planning (KYPSEA), Iakovos Mikelides, stated that the Ministry takes a different approach, advocating for the creation of a national crisis management mechanism that should report to the Council of Ministers, along with the simultaneous establishment, on a permanent basis, of a national center for managing all crises (e.g., hybrid threats, cybersecurity) to ensure immediate situational awareness and decision-making capacity.
In addition, the representative of the General Staff of the National Guard stated, regarding the participation of National Guard personnel in the mechanism, that the operational capability of the force should not be compromised even during peacetime, adding that financial coverage of the costs of participation must also be provided for.
The representative of the Ministry of Justice, George Karagiannis, conveyed the Ministry’s support for the bill, while the spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance, Marios Hatzidamianou, adding that the budget bill has been submitted with room for amendments through November; otherwise, a supplementary bill may be submitted in June 2026.
The Deputy Commander of the Civil Defense Force, Theodoros Lemoniatis, said that the crux of the matter is that there must be a central civil protection mechanism, the details of which will be examined during the article-by-article debate and resolved, adding that a single person is needed to coordinate efforts during a crisis.
On behalf of all the District Local Government Organizations, the President of the Famagusta District Local Government Organization, Yiannis Karousos, conveyed the organizations’ positive stance in principle, adding that they wish for national plans to include an explicit reference to the EOA as local government bodies so that the relevant organizations and services can be utilized, that there be an obligation to cooperate with the National Coordinator, provisions for water supply and sewerage, as well as coverage of expenses in the event that these organizations are activated.
The Head of the Game and Wildlife Service, Pantelis Hatzigerou, and the Assistant Chief of Police, Ioannis Georgiou, in turn expressed their support for the bill.
The Director of the Forestry Department, Savvas Iezekiel, stated that the Department supports the bill in principle, as well as the creation of the position of National Coordinator for coordination purposes, without, however, assuming operational command of incidents, adding that the Forestry Department cannot be excluded from fire management.
Chief Fire Officer Nikos Loginos stated that the institution of civil protection must be established. He added that the Ministry of Defense’s disagreement is irrelevant to the issue, as it is a matter for the National Security Council, noting that the operational situation must be assessed by those on the ground.
Representatives from the Mental Health Services and Ambulance Services asked for confirmation as to whether the nurses participating in the mechanism would be assigned to the National Guard’s reserve force in the event of a crisis or whether they would remain in hospitals, while also requesting that the operational activities of each rescue service proceed without interruption in the field, while a representative of the Public Health Services stated that the National Coordinator cannot issue instructions regarding the management of health issues and that the details of the National Plans must be clarified.
The spokesperson for the Pan-Cyprian Union of Foresters said that their stance is positive in principle, but they foresee scientific and technical gaps due to the conflation and broad generalization of concepts, while expressing concern about the excessive concentration of powers and authority in the office of the National Coordinator.
Furthermore, KYSOA President Themida Anthopoulou stated that the mechanism must be accessible to all citizens, adding that a needs assessment for people with disabilities must be conducted.
In remarks made by members of Parliament, DISY MP Nikoletta Konstantinou, focused on the qualifications required for the appointment of the National Coordinator and staffing issues related to the mechanism, requesting an indicative list of regulations and timelines, as well as clarification of the scope of the Coordinator’s responsibilities and the framework for intervention, while her colleague, George Lysandrides, asked whether preliminary work had been done regarding the transition costs and the budget for the new civil protection directorate.
DIKO MP Panikos Leonidou said that a balance must be struck between the ministries to ensure a unified response to the situation, calling for careful and serious consideration of important issues, while ALMA MP Michalis Paraskevas, said that for his party, the political appointment of the General Coordinator is a red line, arguing that the person selected should come from the civil service, meet specific formal qualifications and criteria, and not be dependent on the leadership of the moment, so that there is no doubt in the event of disagreements at the operational level.
Finally, AKEL MP Ephraim Christou expressed the party’s concerns regarding the unresolved issues, adding that the example of Greece—which, as he said, has failed—should be avoided.
In remarks made after the session ended, the Press Spokesperson for the Ministry of the Interior, Margarita Kyriakou, said that there was a consensus among all attendees and parliamentary groups on the necessity of establishing the civil protection mechanism, adding that a clause-by-clause debate is expected to begin shortly, during which certain specific points raised by both members of parliament and various affected stakeholders will be clarified so that the two bills can be passed as quickly as possible.
When asked whether the Ministry of the Interior is being overburdened with additional responsibilities, Ms. Kyriakou said that the purpose of the bill is to improve coordination and prevent the various services from being fragmented across different ministries, while also investing in better prevention.
When asked about the Ministry of Defense’s concerns, he said that there are some differing interpretations of the two bills, and these will be clarified before the article-by-article debate between the two ministries.
He added that a meeting has been scheduled between the Minister of Defense, the Minister of Justice, and the Minister of the Interior, during which an effort will be made to agree on certain key points in order to approach the debate with a unified position that will address the concerns of all sides.
For his part, Committee Chairman Aristos Damianou said that while the government’s intention is a step in the right direction, differing approaches among various departments and agencies were also noted today.
“The discussion regarding the potential fragmentation of the Forestry Department’s operations and wildfire suppression efforts is well known. This is an important issue, and both then and now we have noted disagreements, including our own disagreement regarding the prospect of transferring part of the Forestry Department to the Ministry of the Interior. There are disagreements, objections, and concerns from the Ministry of Defense and the National Guard regarding who has overall command and under what circumstances. “There are disagreements from the scientific community, which are being heard by the Committee on Internal Affairs and its members,” he continued.
“Therefore, given that we were informed today that the Ministry of Defense is taking the initiative to hold discussions with the relevant ministries on the 29th of this month, I have decided to allow time for this dialogue. Under normal circumstances, the bill would have to be returned to the government if there is internal disagreement among ministries, but we will allow time for dialogue because this is a very serious issue. We want the discussion to proceed in principle, but we want what is discussed to be agreed upon so that the Internal Affairs Committee does not have to mediate between government ministries,” she further noted.
In turn, Ms. Konstantinou said that the key question arising from today’s discussion is whether we have turned the lessons learned from the crises we have already experienced into specific rules for the next crisis.
“The discussion highlighted very specific issues: the relationship between the National Coordinator and the relevant operational leaders, the clear division of responsibilities, the chain of command, and how the new mechanism will integrate with existing plans and the agencies that already have operational responsibility,” he continued.
He added that the comments already submitted during the public consultation by the agencies involved themselves are of particular importance, as is the way they presented their views to the Committee today, while reiterating that international experience must also be drawn upon.
“We need to see what has worked elsewhere and what can be adapted to our own circumstances. The goal is to establish a framework that leaves no gaps when the going gets tough. Because a crisis is not the time to interpret jurisdictional boundaries or to search for who is responsible; it is the time when the state must function effectively,” he concluded.
In his own remarks, DIKO MP Panikos Leonidou expressed his party’s reservations about the matter, as he noted, that every reform announced in the past has, unfortunately, failed to meet the goals set from the outset.
“Consequently, we have reservations that in this case—since we are dealing with the very lives of citizens, their livelihoods, their property, and above all, the protection of the environment, everyone must be careful to ensure that the mistakes and oversights of the past are not repeated,” he added.
Finally, ELAM MP Eugenios Hamboullas highlighted the differences of opinion expressed among the various agencies, and for this reason, they were given time to discuss the matter and report back to the Committee on Internal Affairs before the 29th of the month.
Regarding the National Coordinator, he said that ELAM’s position is that this appointment should be made by the Council of Ministers, but under no circumstances should the appointee be a political figure.
“This person must have operational experience, and there must be clear responsibilities as well as qualifications, so that we do not give ourselves the right to pick just anyone off the shelf. Knowledge related to security, firefighting, health, and law enforcement is required, and for this very reason we have brought this issue before representatives of the Ministry of the Interior and are awaiting their views,” he added.
Source: CNA
