The Democratic Alarm parliamentary caucus held a press conference today to present the issues it has raised on its own initiative and the bills that the new parliamentary caucus has already submitted for consideration by the relevantrelevant parliamentary committees of the House of Representatives.

The conference opened with a speech by the Party’s President, Ms. Annita Dimitriou, who noted that this is not a one-off initiative. As she said, it is an ongoing process aimed at implementing what we, as Democratic Alarm, promised during the election campaign.

“Regardless of who holds executive power, our responsibility toward Cyprus remains the same. As the preeminent reformist force in the country, we have a duty to lead the country forward. To advocate, to push, to propose, and to reach compromises wherever possible, with a spirit of consensus and cooperation,” she emphasized.

Today’s presentation, the DISY President added, marks the starting point of a new course for the next five years.

And with the resumption of the House’s work, we will insist that issues such as the following be addressed as a priority:
• the housing crisis
;• traffic
;• the digital transition
;
• reducing bureaucracy
;• the cost of living; and• support for families with children and students.

“Our parliamentary group works diligently and systematically. It addresses issues, prepares initiatives, and submits proposals that respond to the real needs of the local community, as well as those of our country. Proposals and initiatives that are consistent with the 31 goals, policy directions, and priorities we have set.”

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Ms. Dimitriou concluded her speech by emphasizing that Cyprus has great potential and that “with our comprehensive plan for the country, we firmly believe that we can achieve ambitious goals.”

“We are moving forward with this philosophy—with consistency and dedication to the changes and solutions that our Cyprus needs. This is how we are moving forward responsibly.”

For his part, DISY’s Parliamentary Spokesperson, Mr. Dimitris Dimitriou, in presenting the party’s parliamentary activity to date in the new House, emphasized that parliamentary work is our vanguard, the primary engine of policy-making.

In this context, he noted that in the first 20 days of the new parliamentary session, more than 50 ex officio motions and 10 bills have been submitted.

“Today we are presenting, by way of example, but at the same time, specifically, what we have done in the first few days of the new parliamentary group and how we intend to proceed starting this fall, when Parliament will resume its normal operations,” he noted, adding that there are issues that were raised during the previous parliamentary session as well; they are important and reflect matters for which citizens are seeking tangible and practical solutions.

These include:

• the bill on the loss of use of occupied properties
• the bill on family taxable income
• the bill to extend maternity leave to 26 weeks starting with the first child.

As noted, two bills were submitted in recent days aimed at reducing bureaucracy and the inconvenience citizens face when dealing with government agencies. At the same time, during the first meetings of the Legal Affairs Committee, the issue—which has been added to the agenda ex officio—regarding delays in the administration of justice will be discussed, and how the reform is being implemented in this sector.

At the same time, Mr. Dimitriou noted that, regarding the housing crisis, the Parliamentary Committee will be asked to discuss the matter during the first fall sessions of the Committee on Internal Affairs. The government should provide an update on the status of the plans it has announced from time to time, as he said, while at the same time working on legislative proposals to utilize vacant properties. This is the most immediate and feasible way to increase the supply of affordable housing.

Regarding traffic, it was noted that an item has already been placed on the agenda of the Transport Committee concerning the results of the Weedrive implementation in Limassol and how it could be applied in Nicosia and other cities.

Finally, regarding the water crisis, we requested, the Parliamentary Spokesperson noted, that the Agriculture Committee immediately discuss the possibility of utilizing artificial rain or other methods to resolve this long-standing issue.

The complete list of ex officio items and legislative proposals submitted by the Democratic Alarm Parliamentary Group is provided here.