Citizens will now have a pioneering method of access to information regarding the release of pollutants into the atmosphere, with the online register of the release and transfer of pollutants, which has been implemented by the Republic of Cyprus.

Speaking at a seminar to present the register, Minister of Labour and Social Insurance Soteroulla Charalambous said that the register was set up in the framework of harmonisation with the acquis communautaire, as well as international conventions for the protection of the environment, and that the website would have a specialised database, to which relevant information would be uploaded.

Charalambous said her Ministry was implementing a comprehensive system to prevent and monitor pollution, along with other measures, and that the quality of air in Cyprus is generally good and is constantly improving on the whole.

Regarding the reduction of the concentration of particles in the atmosphere, Charalambous said the Ministry of Labour, in cooperation with other interested services, has prepared a National Action Plan, which was approved by the Council of Ministers in February 2008. She said the plan includes measures covering the industrial sector, as well as transport, energy and agriculture, and that the measures are already being implemented.