The Committee for the Sustainable Development of Mineral Resources was created by the Council of Ministers with the decision number 67.703 dated 24 September 2008 (Proposal No 980/2008).
Members of the Committee:
Representatives of the Ministries of Agriculture, Rural Development and the Environment and Interior, Geological Survey, Town Planning and Housing, Forest and Environment Departments, Planning Bureau and Mines Service.
The representative of the Geological Survey Department is appointed as the chairman of the Committee that will also provide secretarial support to the Committee.
The representatives of the above Ministries, Departments and Services shall remain the same as far as possible in the Committee.
The Committee may also invite other Services or bodies for consultation.
The Committee's objective: An integrated and comprehensive assessment of the problems and / or malfunctions related to the field of research, exploitation and management of the mineral resources and the submission of suggestions to the relevant competent authorities to successfully deal with them.
Tasks of the Committee:
(a) Preparation of opinions and / or suggestions to the relevant competent authorities regarding issues concerning Mining and Quarrying Development, such as:
Amendments to the legal framework and revision of the mining / quarry policy.
Education and continuous training of staff.
Long term planning for the exploitation of the mineral resources of Cyprus, excluding hydrocarbons.
Defining and / or modifying of quarry / mining zones.
Coordination, simplification and acceleration of the licensing processes for quarrying and mining activities.
Policy of exploiting the quarry and mine wastes.
Policy of reuse and recycling of old construction materials.
(b) Recording and assessing the difficulties and problems encountered in the above and possible malfunctions in the process of carrying out research, exploitation and management of mineral resources.
Procedure of forming views and recommendations:
The Committee's recommendations are taken seriously by the Competent Authorities.
The Committee prioritizes the themes of interest.
The Committee's views and recommendations are submitted to the competent authorities, while copy is submitted to the Ministers of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment and Interior for their information.
In the views and recommendations of the Committee all potentially different views expressed by its members are reported.
The law enforcement competent authorities shall inform the Committee of their decision in relation to applications on which the Committee is consulted.