15 April 2025 - Landmark decision to suspend work at the port of Pentakomos
The decision of the Administrative Court to suspend work at the port of Pentakomos, following an appeal by environmental organisations, is an unprecedented and positive development. The Pentakomos area, where the endangered Mediterranean monk seal relies on the vital habitat for survival, is being irreparably destroyed for the construction of a port for the purposes of servicing fish farming.
For the first time in Cyprus, a project is being “frozen” exclusively for environmental reasons, paving the way for real environmental justice and strengthening the legal protection of nature. The interim order to suspend work by the Administrative Court is a victory for the Republic, the environment and the organisations that resist the destructive projects, which are licensed with carelessness, lack of transparency and alarming ease in environmentally sensitive areas and habitats.
The Order immediately stops the work before irreversible damage is caused, confirming that environmental protection cannot be bypassed for the sake of certain interests.
Volt stands firmly in favor of legality, transparency and environmental justice. It is no longer acceptable for projects of such scope to be licensed by the government, without a Special Ecological Assessment Study, without taking into account scientific studies, and without proper implementation of European and national laws.
We call on the government:
To respect the Court's decision and not to attempt any circumvention.
To comprehensively review the framework for approving projects in environmentally sensitive areas, applying the principles of prevention and precaution.
To implement the relevant legislation and not to approve projects located next to environmentally sensitive areas without the required scientific assessment studies.
To ensure that the studies necessarily examine alternative project locations as provided for in European legislation.