Cyprus is fighting back against its reputation for having the EU’s slowest construction permit process. Following a meeting between the Cyprus Federation of Building Contractors Associations (OSEOK) and the Presidents of the District Local Government Organisations (DLGO), local authorities confirmed they are finally processing more development applications than they receive, signaling a key turning point in clearing the enormous backlog.
A Commitment to Efficiency
The working lunch addressed the stark finding in a recent European Commission report: the average timeframe for completing all construction-related procedures in Cyprus is 507 days—the longest in the entire EU.
OSEOK President Stelios Gavriel reaffirmed the industry’s commitment to supporting government efforts to streamline and accelerate the permit process, recognizing that delays stifle investment. The DLGO Presidents stated that achieving faster approvals is central to their mandate, but requires key structural changes:
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Greater Administrative Autonomy.
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Completion of Staffing Structures.
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Strengthened Revenue Bases.
Beating the Backlog: Positive Trends Emerge
Despite inheriting a substantial queue of pending applications in July 2024, the DLGO Presidents reported encouraging administrative progress. The current application processing rate now exceeds the number of new submissions, indicating that the system’s capacity is finally catching up to demand and gradually reducing the inherited workload.
While the 507-day average remains a major challenge, this new operational metric signals that local governments are beginning to implement the necessary steps to improve efficiency and reduce the crippling delays that have long burdened the construction sector.
Source: Cyprus Property News