On February 14th, we were invited for the second time by the Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament to talk about recent updates regarding Akamas. We highlighted the breaches of legally binding terms set by the Environmental Authority for the projects of the first phase to improve the road network of the National Forest Park of Akamas.
There was also a reference to the ongoing cases against the Republic of Cyprus concerning Akamas. We called on the European Parliament to support our efforts to preserve Akamas and intervene in what is happening, to restore the damage caused and to halt the repetition of the same mistakes.
In its statement, the European Commission stated that they are closely monitoring the issue of Akamas, while itdid not rule out the prospect of referring the Republic of Cyprus to the European Court.
The five Members of the European Parliament who spoke, including three Cypriots (Dimitris Papadakis, George Georgiou, and Nyazi Kizilgyurek), acknowledged the seriousness of the issue, stating that it should be closely monitored by the European Parliament, while they expect the European Commission to inform them about how it will act on this specific matter.
Following the statements of the MEPs, the Committee on Petitions decided to keep the case open for further investigation and monitoring.