WITH an impending end to his term at the end of the month, and the possibility of a change of government, the future of the institution of Environment Commissioner in Cyprus looms uncertain.
Striving to be given the chance to continue what he started, Charalambos Theopemptou, Cyprus’ first Commissioner for the Environment has been busy presenting the work achieved in his short term.
“The institution of Commissioner for the Environment falls under the President’s office. President Papadopoulos created the institution of Environment Commissioner. This is important as the Commissioner is independent of the Ministries’ influence,” he said at a gathering in Limassol this week, where he presented his achievements.
Since Theopemptou took up office in July 2006, he was faced with the all-encompassing task of addressing Cyprus’ grave environmental problems, a task that many environmentalists believe the Environment Service (a department of the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and the Environment) lacks the will to tackle.
Throughout his term, Theopemptou has been armed with nothing more than his goodwill in executing his work: he has no legal backing, as the relevant law that would assign his powers has been stalling in Parliament for a whole year, and, he has barely any staff: his office comprises himself and one secretary.
“I took office in July 2006, but there was no actual office space for me! I had to find office space to rent out, and start it up with faxes, PCs, phones, files etc. This did cause delay and the office started its functioning in September 2006.
“The absence of staff also caused delays. Before I send out any letter to any department, I have to research the issue considerably. This research was performed by me alone,” Theopemtou explained.
Yet the Commissioner has managed to present an impressive portfolio of achievements, as detailed in the yearly report he has been sending the President, which he then passes on to press and public. In many ways, his methods have been unusually transparent, encouraging direct dialogue with the public, a practice that is usually not associated with public service officials.
He is the only public figure in Cyprus who has designed and constantly updates his own personal Blogspot http://theopemptou.blogspot.com/, where he updates people on what he has been doing each day, who he has talked to, and what has been achieved. Visitors are also given the chance to comment on his posts. In addition to the blog, Theopemtou has been running the official site http://perivallon.eu and an internet album at http://picasaweb.google.com/theopemptou
The role of the Environment Commissioner, however, is purely advisory, with no express executive power, although his direct access to the President does give the Commissioner a sort of indirect executive force. Throughout his short term, Theopemtou has been gathering information on a multitude of environmental issues, drafting reports, visiting schools to talk about the environment, listening to complains from the public, and exerting pressure on public and private stakeholders.
Given that the Environment Commissioner was created following the efforts and pressure from the Green Party, the party’s leadership is now adamant about the necessity of the existence of this institution.
“The Environment Commissioner was created following the Green Party’s promotion of the creation of an independent Environment Board, comprising the Commissioner and an Environment Council,” said Giorgos Perdikis, Green Party MP.
“After one year, Parliament has failed to pass the relevant law and we believe that blame lies with the major parties – especially AKEL. Presidential candidates Christofias and Kassoulides have given us no assurance that they will continue this institution, so we feel that the choice of President Papadopoulos is the only one that ensures the continuation of the Commissioner,” Perdikis said.
“If President Papadopoulos gets re-elected, he will appoint a Commissioner,” Theopemtou added. “However, if another candidate gets elected, then they will wait until the relevant law passes from Parliament to create an Environment Council. It is up to the President to act,” he explained.
