In accordance with the legislation passed by the House of Representatives on Thursday evening, February 13, arson of forests will now be punishable by serious extrajudicial fines and judicial sanctions.

By an overwhelming majority, Parliament adopted a package of six bills providing for, in some cases, extrajudicial fines of up to 25,000 euros.

Legislation regulates activities in rural areas, such as when and where it is allowed to light a fire and under what circumstances. It also regulates what type of equipment can be used in such areas.

The severity of punishments is intended to serve as a deterrent. Local authorities may impose extrajudicial fines on persons who caused a fire or created a fire risk. There are separate penalties for these two types of offenses.

As for the courts, after a conviction, a person may be given a monetary penalty equivalent to the amount spent on extinguishing a fire, or equivalent to the amount that must be spent on restoring environmental damage.

Later in a post on the X network, Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou welcomed the new legislation, saying it “points the way to a new era in terms of protecting our forests.”

A source: cyprus-mail.com

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