President Nikos Christodoulides has announced the establishment of a modern and effective national civil defence mechanism, adding that all relevant agencies would fall under the responsibility of the Ministry of Interior which is to be renamed to 'Ministry of Interior and Civil Defence'.
Addressing the Cabinet, the President said that this reform constitutes one of the five key priorities of his administration and falls under the theme of state modernisation.
"Today we are proceeding with yet another notable reform, towards the necessity for a modern and effective national civil defence mechanism on the basis of international and European standards," he noted.
In particular, as President Christodoulides explained, the decision sees the Fire Service, staff at the Forestry Department who work on forest protection actions, as well as the Civil Defence department housed under the same Ministry.
The President stressed that "this coordination and ending the fragmentation of competences in different Ministries will lead to a powerful National Civil Defence Mechanism."
He recalled that the first relevant decision on the matter was taken in October 2023 and that it was followed by technical support from France, funded by the EU.
"We believe that this coordination will lead to a modern National Civil Defence Mechanism, to the standards of other states," he concluded.
(Source: CNA)
