PARLIAMENT yesterday adopted all five laws that had been referred back by President Tassos Papadopoulos.
With the exception of the fishing law, deputies almost unanimously accepted the referrals and approved the necessary amendments.
The Fishing Law, which provided the creation of a new Category C type of fishing licence that would enable amateur fishermen to use nets, was again a subject of debate during the Plenum meeting.
The law was rejected by the President because it conflicted with European acquis communautaire and the Constitution.
Yesterday, Attorney-general Petros Clerides sent a hand-signed letter to Parliament, saying that the law did not conflict with EU regulations. He requested, however, the alteration of two provisions, which were also cited by Papadopoulos in his referral.
The first concerned the head of the Fishery Department’s “obligation” to issue 1,200 category C licences to amateur fishermen.
The Plenum adopted the AG’s suggestion to alter the term “obligation” to “according to his abilities”.
The second suggestion was to withdraw a provision that enabled the Department to issue a further 350 category C licences to exercise fishing with any fishing equipment but without a boat, under restrictions and with the length of net being 25 metres.
The Plenum rejected the President and AG’s suggestion, because they disagreed with the opinion that creating such a category contradicted European regulations.
According to the Chairman of the Agriculture Committee, AKEL’s Yiannakis Thoma, deputies had carefully examined all EU regulations on fishing laws before approving the provision. “After examining the European regulation that regulates fishing matters in the Mediterranean, we realised that traditional fishing methods could be accepted by the EU, provided they are regulated by law on a national level,” he told reporters after the meeting.
Several deputies expressed their concern over the possible repercussions of the rejection, warning that Papadopoulos could eventually decide to refer the law to the Supreme Court, leaving a loophole in legislation until the court reached its decision.
The Green Party’s George Perdikis, who along with DIKO deputy Antonis Antoniou abstained during the vote, accused his fellow deputies of “voting based on petty party interests”.
Pointing out that fishing reserves were desperately low in Cyprus, Perdikis said: “Today the deputies fished for votes, without thinking that fishing resources are decreasing dramatically.”
He added that Cypriot seas had effectively died and
The five laws that were adopted:
l The amended VAT Law: President Papadopoulos said the proposed law would reduce the state’s tax-collecting capabilities, endangering public income. The new law provides that each person who fails to submit his VAT returns within 30 days of receiving the relevant notice will face a £5,000 fine and/or 12 month prison sentence.
l The amended Fishing Law: Papadopoulos said the proposed creation of a new type of fishing licence, Category C for amateur fishermen to use nets, conflicted with European acquis communautaire.
l The amended Company Law: Papadopoulos said it wasn’t compatible with the relative EU directive, which forces companies to maintain unified monetary systems.
The Plenum unanimously approved the referral and adapted its contents accordingly.
l The amended Tax Stamps Law: The President said that transactions worth over £25 million would have to pay a duty disproportionately lower than the duty imposed on smaller transactions, violating the principle of proportionality as provided by the Constitution. The referral was unanimously accepted by Parliament and the law was amended.
l The amended Rent Control Law: The law was referred due the excessive restrictions it imposed on landlords. The referral was partially accepted by Parliament, with the exception of AKEL who disagreed with the reasons it was sent back.
