Everything unfolding with regard to the much-discussed LNG terminal project at Vasiliko is nothing more than a reflection of the practices of a chronically inadequate state that is incapable of providing solutions, or even a way out, to the major problems facing society and the economy.
The repeat debate in Parliament on the same issue, with the same content and the same hackneyed tensions, highlights the significant gap in the internal coordination of the Executive Branch, that is, the practice of governing with your blinkers on and failing to coordinate with the private actors involved in the specific project.
The terminal at Vasiliko is evolving as the crowning glory of failure, accompanied by the loss of hundreds of millions of euros. Unfortunately, no one is able to claim yet that we are even potentially close to the import of natural gas. The authorities cannot provide a convincing timeframe for the completion of this critical project. However, citizens must at some point feel able to trust in the state’s ability to ensure energy security and a reduction in the cost of electricity.
Responsibility on these issues falls fully on the current government. Regardless of whether the sins of the previous Executive Power are being paid for, the current government must realize that it cannot hide behind the practices of the past. What is needed today is to proceed with an extensive admission of its failures and to expedite the process.
The failure of the current Executive Power cannot be turned into an acceptable status quo and position. On the contrary, it must be the starting point for completing this task within a reasonable timeframe.
At the same time, light will be shed on the Vasiliko fiasco with the opening of bank accounts belonging to politicians, current and former government officials, as part of the investigation by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) into the award of the tender for the construction of the terminal.
As Politis revealed yesterday, EPPO intends to look into possible fraud, misuse of EU funds, and corruption during the tender process and management of the project, which secured €101 million from European funds. These are unprecedented allegations for a project that we have not yet seen. This is the other dimension of a scandal that looks set to preoccupy Cypriot society for a long time to come.