The most important economic and technological challenges facing Cyprus and Europe in general was the focus of discussions on Thursday, during the first half of the second day of the Cyprus Forum, which is being hosted at the Old Town Hall in Nicosia.
The Forum was attended by members of the government, guests from the academic and business community, as well as officials from European and international organizations.
Europe must become a competitive continent, says N. Damianou
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During the first discussion of the day on Cyprus’s main priorities and legislative initiatives in the field of innovation, the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation, and Digital Policy, Nicodemos Damianou, said that these include, on the one hand, digital policy, which also covers cyber resilience and cyber security, and, on the other hand, competitiveness, as well as the discussion on space.
According to the Deputy Minister, Europe must move from its current identity as a regulatory-driven continent to a competitive continent and consider competitiveness more actively.
He explained that Europe has a new digital regulatory framework, which includes the law on artificial intelligence, the Digital Services Act, and the Digital Markets Act, while next year the Digital Networks, EU Cloud and AI Development Act are also expected.
He added that Cyprus is interested in promoting the EU Business Wallet, a proposal which, he said, is expected to be submitted before the end of the year and is part of the simplification of procedures, especially for SMEs.
In the area of competitiveness, the main issue, according to Damianou, is the strategy for start-ups and growing businesses.
“The whole point of what Draghi is highlighting is that Europe has a lot of activity in terms of launching start-ups. We have presumably more start-ups being launched than any other continent, however, we maintain less than a 10% global share of new start-ups. The same is the situation with researchers and entrepreneurs, we cannot find a way yet to keep them in Europe. That is a key challenge and the main instrument there is the European Innovation Act,” he concluded.
A state must modernize and be accountable to its citizens, according to I. Piki
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During a discussion on institutional reforms with the Deputy Minister to the President, Irene Piki, she referred to the GRECO report on Cyprus.
As she noted, the report included 22 recommendations, of which 6, or almost 28%, have been completed, while significant progress has been made on another 13. “Overall, approximately 85% of the recommendations have been fully implemented or have recorded significant progress,” she pointed out.
According to Piki, the main recommendations among those that have been completed concerned the code of conduct for ministers, the appointment of an ethics advisor for officials and ministers, the completion of the electronic consultation, and the strengthening of the Anti-Corruption Authority.
She added that a monitoring committee has been set up to implement the Greco committee’s recommendations, involving the relevant government departments under the supervision of the Deputy Minister herself, with the participation of the Transparency Commissioner.
Regarding the effort to reform the Law Office, Piki said that, in addition to separating the role of legal advisor from that of public prosecutor, it also includes the review of the public prosecutor’s decisions, while for the corresponding reform of the Audit Service, she said that financial independence will now be provided to the service, and the creation of an Audit Council is also planned.
“We are in favor of reforms; a state must modernize, it must move forward, it must be accountable to its citizens, and it must be more effective and operate with greater transparency,” she concluded.
Ioannides describes Nicosia’s practice of returns as “successful.”
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In a panel discussion on migration policy, Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection Nicolas Ioannides said that in 2025, so far, departures of third-country nationals from the Republic of Cyprus have reached nearly 10,000, while in 2024 there were almost 11,000 departures, noting that Nicosia’s return practice is “successful.”
The Deputy Minister also said that relocations are “vital” for the Republic of Cyprus, noting that since 2022, more than 3,000 asylum seekers have been relocated to other EU Member States.
He also said that integration is “an important strategic goal” for the government, and that Cyprus is one of the few Member States that will soon have a strategy for the integration of asylum seekers, which is expected to be approved by the Council of Ministers in November.
According to the Deputy Minister, the adoption of the Pact on Migration and Asylum is “a step in the right direction,” noting that one of the priorities of the Cyprus Presidency of the EU “is to ensure the proper implementation of the Pact.”
He also said that a new reception center for asylum seekers, with a capacity of 1,000 people, is in its final stages in the Limnes area, with medical facilities, modern accommodation, sports fields, and parks, while the pre-departure center will be located next to it, and that the project is expected to be delivered in phases by the end of 2025.
The aim, he noted, is “to continue to address the issue consistently and responsibly and in accordance with international and EU law.”
Long-term care is not just a technical term, but also an indicator of civilization, says M. Damianos.
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In a discussion on long-term care in Cyprus, Health Minister Michalis Damianos spoke about the National Strategy for the Health of Older People, which, he said, is part of the broader National Strategy for Active Aging 2025-2030, coordinated by the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare.
According to the Minister, the strategy is based on four strategic pillars: prevention (vaccinations, pre-symptomatic checks, and accident prevention), healthy aging with an emphasis on mental health, physical activity, proper nutrition, and social participation; a friendly environment, with infrastructure adaptation, strengthening of home care, and combating age discrimination; and research and education.
At the same time, he referred to the establishment of the National Committee for the Health of Older People, which acts in an advisory capacity to the Ministry and promotes interdisciplinary cooperation between all relevant bodies, specialized centers, and the academic community.
“Long-term care is not just a technical term, but also an indicator of civilization. It reflects the way we perceive social cohesion, solidarity between generations, and the right of all to a quality life. The cooperation of all, including health professionals, civil society organizations, and the academic community, is important in order to build a truly holistic approach to the health and care of the elderly,” he concluded.
Excellent job market prospects in Cyprus, says Y. Panagiotou
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In his own intervention during a discussion on the future of work, the Minister of Labour and Social Insurance, Yiannis Panagiotou, described social justice as the most important factor for the future of work, as “it is the path through which we can achieve greater social cohesion, greater social stability, and greater social prosperity.”
He added that with technology evolving rapidly, it is even more necessary to ensure that the benefits of technological progress are distributed in a socially just manner, ‘otherwise, if developments in the labor market lead to more inequality, a smaller middle class, and a wider gap between those who prosper and those who struggle, the future will not be bright for anyone’.
Regarding the labour market situation in Cyprus, Panayiotou said that the reduction in unemployment in the country over the last two years has been such that conditions of full employment have been created.
He further pointed out that participation in training programs in Cyprus has increased by 86% over the last two years, while participation in training programs focusing on green and digital skills has increased by 742%.
“Harnessing these opportunities, together with the prospects offered by targeted professional development programs, is yielding concrete results. We are continuing in this direction by upgrading our legislative framework on teleworking, regulating the relationship between employer and employee to make use of flexible forms of work, and so on, in order to achieve the target which, we set last year, where the employment rate exceeded 80%, the highest we have ever had,” he noted.
“It was a target set to be achieved in 2030, and we achieved it five years earlier. So, our prospects are excellent, and we will continue to make the most of them,” he stressed.
The Cyprus Forum program continues on Thursday afternoon and Friday morning, October 3.
Its proceedings started yesterday, Wednesday, 1 October, with President of the Republic, Nikos, Christodoulides, saying in his recorder message that ‘the effort for bold and continuous reforms to strengthen the rule of law and combat corruption is unstoppable.”
For all this, he noted, a strong economy is needed that rewards the sacrifices of the people and confirms the policies of the Government.
With regard to the Cyprus issue, the President reiterated his cautious optimism about the resumption of talks.
The Cyprus News Agency is the media sponsor of the conference.