Cypriot parliament rejects landfill tax legislation

On Tuesday, the Cypriot House of Representatives rejected a proposed bill that would have introduced a municipal waste landfill tax. The measure aimed to impose an initial fee of €10 per tonne of waste, with annual increases to reach €70 per tonne by 2028. The Ministry of Agriculture stated that this rejection puts €23 million in European funding from the Recovery and Resilience Plan at risk, which would have totaled €48 million when combined with national co-financing. The ministry argued that the tax was essential to meet EU environmental obligations and that the financial impact on households would have been less than €1 per month. Conversely, the Union of Cyprus Municipalities praised the parliamentary decision, arguing that local authorities and residents should not bear the financial burden for historical infrastructure failures. The union maintains its support for environmental goals but calls for a new dialogue to develop a fairer waste management framework. The government noted that the proposal was developed with guidance from JASPERS, an advisory body to the European Commission.