330 of the 420 Cypriot fuel tankers do not comply with European ADR safety standards and are subject to the decree of the Ministry of Transport on decommissioning — for the first time without delays, which the industry has received for 16 years in a row. Car owners are preparing a protest at the presidential palace on July 21, 2026, and residents are already being advised to order fuel in advance for the winter. This is what the Reporter writes about.

The decree of the Minister of Transport Alexis Vafeadis was issued on August 7, 2025 and formally entered into force the next day. We are talking about the requirements of the European ADR Agreement on the transport of dangerous goods: among other things, tanks must be equipped with a system that turns off the machine’s power supply in case of an accident in order to protect both the driver and people nearby.

For sixteen years, the issue was closed with agreements with each successive leadership of the Ministry and the Department of Motor Transport (TOM), but now the agency has refused to back down: the risk to human life in the event of an accident outweighs the inconvenience. The gas station owners object that not a single accident has been recorded in all these years — the ministry responds that they do not want to “run after events” after the tragedy.

Why haven’t the fuel trucks been updated for 16 years?

European requirements have been in place since 2008, but governments repeatedly evaded their application: “All the ministers told us to wait for Europe to decide,” the association of gas station owners recalled.

The result was announced at a meeting of the parliamentary committee on transport: only 20% of the EU fleet meets technical standards, and the decree, according to the deputies themselves, should have appeared 10-15 years earlier. Of the 330 affected vehicles, 80% are 264 small fuel tankers, many of which belong to an outdated replacement fleet. “It may take a year to replace it. Some can be modified, some cannot — it’s too old. But it is impossible to make discounts in such matters,” a source in the department told the Reporter.

The owners were given a choice: to refit, replace or repurpose

Tank owners are offered two ways: to upgrade the car and capacity to ADR standards — from approval of equipment and driver training to labeling and equipment — or to apply to and change the category of transport, transferring it to the transportation of non-dangerous goods. At the same time, TOM announced stricter inspections: violators will face penalties provided for by law, and the amount of fines will depend on the specific case. The ministry recommends that citizens do not postpone orders of heating oil for the heating season, as there may be delays in delivery.

What will the protesters demand on July 21?

After the committee meeting on Thursday, July 9, it became clear that TOM and the ministry would not change their positions, and the owners of the fuel trucks launched preparations for the action: on July 21, they will briefly gather at the presidential palace and hand over the memorandum to the head of state. They are not opposed to the law itself — the dispute is about the timing. A new tanker costs 120-130 thousand euros and it takes about a year and a half to wait for it after ordering, so the industry requires a transition period and raises the issue of compensation.

Savvas Prokopiu, head of the All—Cyprus Association of Gas Station Owners, recalls: on September 29, 2025, TOM and TOM agreed to ask the European Commission for a five-year postponement, but the promised meeting did not happen – instead, the minister’s letter arrived on the withdrawal of cars from June 20, 2026. “The minister did not observe the principle of proportionality. We are seeking a postponement for the sake of public interest, not the cancellation of his decision,” Prokopiu said.

https://lenta.cy/kipru-grozjat-pereboi-s-toplivom-330-benzovozov-ne-sootvetstvujut-normam-adr/