Fidias Panayiotou leads Cyprus protest over electricity prices — Cyprus Mail
Fidias Panayiotou, leader of the Direct Democracy Cyprus movement, led a march to the presidential palace in Cyprus on Saturday to protest high and rising electricity prices. Participants in the protest handed President Nikos Christodoulides a letter demanding that electricity and fuel be recognised as basic necessities, Cyprus Mail reports.
Protesters' demands
The letter states that no household, small business or medium-sized business should be deprived of basic necessities because of unaffordable energy costs. The authors of the appeal described electricity not as a luxury, but as a necessary condition for a dignified life and public welfare.
According to data from the state statistical service Cystat cited in the letter, energy prices increased by 15% between August last year and August this year. The protesters also said that for a worker earning the minimum wage, electricity bills, housing rent, food and transport consume a significant portion of disposable income. According to them, 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity on a household bill can cost up to €295.
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Energy market proposals
Among the protesters' demands are a permanent reduction of the VAT rate to 5%, a review of the cost of emission allowances under the EU Emissions Trading System, targeted support for vulnerable households and small and medium-sized businesses, and the installation of energy storage batteries.
They also called for transparency in the calculation of generation, grid and supply costs, the development of electricity interconnections with other countries, the prompt supply of natural gas, and stronger market competition. Cyprus Mail notes that the proposed reduction of VAT to 5% would not comply with EU rules, which set a minimum rate of 15% for most goods. The publication also points out that funds from the emissions trading system can be directed towards investments in the electricity grid, but not towards direct payments to vulnerable households.
