To issue Urban Planning and Building Permits within 12 months, the Cabinet approved the establishment of the Strategic Developments Sector in the Department of Urban Planning, following a proposal by the Minister of Interior, Konstantinos Ioannou.

Specifically, as reported to Brief, this decision will result in faster licensing of Strategic Developments, as currently, related permits take several years to issue.

The only remaining step is the discussion and approval of the regulations by the House of Representatives.

According to Brief's information, the following regulations have been submitted to the House for discussion and approval:

1. Criteria for a project to be considered a Strategic Development.

2. The amount of the second part of the fees.

3. The obligations and criteria for appointing project managers.

Specifically, for the first point, the Ministry of Interior wants projects that provide multiple and long-term benefits to the economy to be classified as Strategic Developments.

For example, these projects should fall into sectors such as Health, Education, Culture, Sports, Agricultural Development, and Shipping, while also creating and offering long-term job opportunities. Brief's information indicates that the project cost must exceed €20 to €25 million.

Regarding the second part of the fees, the amount is expected to reach up to €35,000. These fees will offset the administrative costs for such developments.

The Strategic Developments Sector will be headed by the Director of the Department of Urban Planning and Housing. Specifically, the Sector will consist of two Divisions: the Project Management Division and the Licensing Division. Project Managers will fall under the Project Management Division.

The Licensing Division will be responsible for the urban planning and building permitting of strategic development projects.

Staffing of the Sector will initially be carried out with permanent personnel from other Departments, who will perform the required work alongside their primary duties, mainly through overtime.

At a later stage, depending on the interest shown, hiring additional staff or permanently staffing the Sector with personnel returning from temporary secondment to Provincial Organizations may be required.

According to the Cabinet's decision, the Strategic Developments Sector will enter into Memoranda of Cooperation with the administrative authorities involved in the licensing process. The Minister of Interior, upon approval, will submit these to the Cabinet for further approval.

The Memoranda of Cooperation will outline the procedures for consultation, submission of applications, and licensing, including a list of officials deemed suitable by the head of each administrative authority to be involved during the licensing process. With these Memoranda, adherence to the tight licensing schedules for strategic development projects and optimal implementation of the law becomes possible.