Stronger measures for affordable housing and faster issuing of permits process with the aim of increasing the housing stock and supporting the purchasing power of citizens, were announced by the Minister of Interior Constantinos Ioannou at the House Finance Committee as he presented the Ministry's 2026 budget, amounting to €779.7 million.
Speaking during the 10 November meeting, he said that the budget has a clear social and people-centered orientation with strong development elements, expressing the will of the government to strengthen the real economy, putting emphasis on providing citizens with effective services.
Ioannou noted that the aim for 2026 is to continue reforms and policies aimed at reducing delays and increasing the efficiency of services such as the broad redesign of real estate management procedures and the modernization of the operation of the Department of Lands and Surveys.
Ioannou also told the parliamentarians that a new legislative framework is underway for the protection of state land, with structured procedures and clear criteria.
He also said that within the framework of the fast-track procedure, 1,328 applications for single-family or duplex houses have been examined within the time limit of 40 working days and 253 applications for multi-family buildings within 80 days.
At the same time, he said that an extensive program for the protection and reuse of listed buildings will be implemented in 2026, with the aim of declaring more than 1,000 buildings as listed and operating Preservation Branch offices in all districts.
Replying to questions from MPs the Minister said that permits are now given by the district local government organisations and the Ministry is assisting by assigning staff to help with the workload. A total of 80 employees were hired and measures were taken to simplify procedures.
Regarding the 'KtiZO' housing project, Ioannou explained that its purpose is to provide both financial support and know-how to the beneficiaries, underlining that the speed of implementation depends on the owners themselves as there needs to be an agreement between the tenants.
Asked about the reform of local government, the Interior Minister said that the new Parliament to be formed after the 2026 elections will seek to make improvements.
(Sources: CNA, PIO)
