Category: Cyprus News Agency

UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has specific moves in mind for the immediate period ahead regarding the Cyprus problem, Greek Cypriot negotiator Menelaos Menelaou said on Tuesday.

Speaking during a discussion at the Cyprus Forum in Nicosia, Menelaou said that, based on the meetings and discussions held in New York, it was clear that the UN Secretary-General ‘will not abandon the effort and will exhaust every possibility.’

‘He has specific moves in mind for the immediate period ahead, and we will see whether it will be possible to do something that puts things back on track and ensures that we preserve what I call the acquis of the talks,’ he said.

Menelaou stressed that the effort must continue, arguing that abandoning it would not simply leave the situation stagnant but would lead to further deterioration, given the already difficult situation surrounding the Cyprus problem and the wider regional instability and uncertainty.

He said the Greek Cypriot side had expected a change in the situation following the change in leadership of the Turkish Cypriot community. ‘Something which, at least so far, has not been confirmed in practice,’ he said, although he acknowledged some small steps and a shift that the Greek Cypriot side had recognised and sought to facilitate.

Among these, he pointed to the reference to political equality in the joint statement issued following the two leaders’ meeting last December. He described this as important because it represented a shift away from the previous demand for ‘sovereign equality’ towards a gradual, albeit slow and incomplete, return to the federal framework.

‘This, however, has not yet taken a complete form,’ Menelaou said. At the same time, he said Turkey continued to support a two-state solution.

According to Menelaou, the Greek Cypriot side went to the meetings in New York seeking a next step that would facilitate the ongoing effort. However, he said, it had not been possible to achieve this because there had been no response from the other side to efforts made up to the last moment to hold a trilateral meeting.

He stressed that assigning blame was not a priority for the Greek Cypriot side.

‘The facts are indisputable,’ he said, adding that the two sides naturally present different accounts of why progress has not been achieved.

Menelaou said the Greek Cypriot side did not describe the situation as a deadlock, but rather as an obstruction preventing the process from gaining momentum.

Convergences and resumption of talks

Regarding confidence-building measures, methodology and substance, Menelaou said that work on recording the convergences had progressed.

Referring to the UNSG’s Personal Envoy Maria Angela Holguin’s statement that the UN document recording the convergences would be made available to the parties at the start of a talks process, he said the Greek Cypriot side believed it should be released now in order to accelerate the next steps and reach the point of resuming negotiations.

He described the recording of the convergences as ‘a very important step’ towards preserving the acquis of the talks.

Menelaou recalled that, following his election as leader of the Turkish Cypriot community, Ersin Tatar’s successor, Tufan Erhurman, had put forward four proposals or conditions: reaffirmation of the convergences, reaffirmation of political equality, a timetable for the next steps and what had been described as ‘pre-agreed consequences’ to ensure that the situation would not remain unchanged in the event of failure.

‘We believe that three of the four have been addressed,’ he said, adding that two had been addressed through the recording of the convergences. He described as ‘very paradoxical’ the fact that, while reaffirmation of the convergences and political equality had been requested, obstacles were now being raised to their submission to all parties.

As regards a possible timetable, Menelaou said that, if an enlarged meeting were convened, the next steps could follow within a ‘very short timeframe’, provided the convergences were safeguarded and the focus was placed on the outstanding issues.

On ‘pre-agreed consequences’, he said there could also be a way forward through steps that would encourage a settlement rather than create incentives for failure.

Menelaou also said ‘a great deal’ had been achieved through confidence-building measures, although more could be done. Over the past 12 months, technical committees had met 119 times and implemented 39 projects, he said.

He also noted that the two leaders had held 11 meetings over the past 11 months, providing opportunities for substantive discussions on both the political substance of the Cyprus problem and technical issues.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose term nears its end, announced he would convene another meeting in broader format, after adequate preparation, but gave no timeline. He secured to that end the consensus of both sides and of the guarantor powers. María Angela Holguín, Guterres’ Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties. Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto acts as the European Commission’s Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.

Permanent Secretary of the General-Directorate of Agriculture and Rural Development, at the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Andreas Gregoriou has stressed the need to move from political commitments to specific actions and investments to address the increasing pressures on the Mediterranean’s water resources.

The Cypriot official was speaking at the 2nd Ministerial Meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) on Water, representing the Republic of Cyprus. The meeting took place on Monday, in Rome.

A press release by the Ministry says that the 2nd Ministerial Meeting, hosted by Italy and co-chaired by Jordan and the European Commission, brought together 40 delegations from the member states of the Union for the Mediterranean.

A new Ministerial Declaration on Water in the Mediterranean was adopted during the meeting, emphasising on resilience, integrated water resources management and the development of conventional and unconventional water sources, including desalination and reuse.

‘The challenges facing our region, including water scarcity, drought, increasing demand, pollution and the risks associated with climate change, require coordinated action and greater emphasis on implementation,’ Gregoriou stressed during his intervention in the Plenary.

Referring to the experience of Cyprus, which has been facing significant pressures on its water resources over time, he noted the importance of an integrated approach, combining demand management, efficient water use and reduction of losses with desalination, reuse of treated urban wastewater and protection of available water resources.

The press release says that Cyprus welcomed the priorities set by the Ministerial Declaration, among other things, for strengthening resilience to climate change, the exploitation of unconventional water resources, digitalization, the Water-Energy-Food-Ecosystems (WEFE Nexus) and the strengthening of investments in the water sector.

Gregoriou also expressed Cyprus’ support for the further strengthening of the UfM Regional Platform for Water and for the continuation of cooperation between Member States and relevant partners, highlighting the importance of exchanging knowledge and good practices in addressing common challenges.

“Cyprus remains committed to constructively contributing to the implementation of the UfM Water Agenda and to strengthening cooperation for a more resilient, sustainable and water-secure Mediterranean,” he concluded.

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (A)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 0600 29/09/2026 UNTIL 0600 30/09/2026

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1012hPa (hectopascal)

Weak low pressure is affecting the area. The weather will be mainly fine but at times increased cloud will be present locally.

Visibility: Good

Sea surface temperature: 28°C

Warnings: NIL

AREA

PERIOD

WIND

STATE OF SEA

West Coast

Morning

Southwest to Northwest 3, at times locally 3 to 4

Slight

Afternoon

Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4, at times locally 4

Slight, at times locally Slight to Moderate

Night

Northwest 3 to 4, gradually Northwest to Northeast 3

Slight, gradually Smooth to Slight

South Coast

Morning

South to Southwest 3, at times locally 3 to 4

Smooth to Slight

Afternoon

Southwest 4, at times locally 4 to 5

Slight

Night

Southwest to West 3 to 4, gradually Northwest 3

Slight, gradually Smooth to Slight

East Coast

Morning

South to Southwest 3, at times locally 3 to 4

Slight

Afternoon

South to Southwest 3 to 4, at times offshore 4

Slight

Night

Southwest to Northwest 3

Smooth to Slight

North Coast

Morning

Southwest to West 3, at times locally 3 to 4

Slight

Afternoon

Southwest to Northwest 4, at times locally 4 to 5

Slight, at times locally Slight to Moderate

Night

Southeast to Southwest 3

Smooth to Slight

Genuine brain circulation is the objective for Cyprus, Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, Athena Michaelidou, said on Tuesday at the Cyprus Forum, noting that Cyprus students and researchers should be free to live, gain experience and return if they wish, while the country should also be able to attract and retain talent from elsewhere.

Speaking during a panel discussion on the role of university alliances in higher education and talent retention, Michaelidou said that the most important contribution of such alliances is to make Europe tangible in the everyday lives of students, researchers, and staff.

‘Democracy is sustained not only by institutions and laws, but also by trust, active participation, equal opportunity, and the ability of people from different countries and backgrounds to learn and work together,’ she said, noting that European university alliances ‘provide precisely this shared space’. ‘They enable students to learn across borders, academics to develop joint research communities, and of course universities to engage collectively with local communities, employers, and wider society’, she added.

In doing so, the Minister said, they help translate European values into lived experience. ‘At a time when democratic societies face increasing disinformation, European university alliances can also play a vital role in strengthening critical thinking, democratic literacy, and mutual understanding’, she said. They provide opportunities for young Europeans not only to experience European cooperation, but also to develop the competences needed to safeguard our democratic values, she added.

On what university alliances can do to reverse brain drain, Michaelidou said that the policy challenge is to ensure that moving abroad ‘is a genuine choice, not the only route to a high-quality career or an irreversible departure for talented people’. This calls for credible opportunities both at home and across Europe, strong research and innovation ecosystem, transparent career pathways, access to competitive funding, partnerships with innovative employers and conditions that support internationally connected careers.

Equally important, the Minister said, are structured links with researchers and graduates abroad, so that mobility generates continuing cooperation, knowledge transfer and opportunities for return. ‘This requires practical policy measures including joint research appointments, stronger university-industry partnerships and structured engagement with our scientific diaspora’, she said.

She noted that European university alliances can provide the institutional framework for such initiatives, enabling researchers to maintain professional connections across borders without having to make a permanent choice between their home country and international career. ‘For Cyprus, the objective is genuine brain circulation. Cyprus students and researchers should be free to live, gain experience and return if they wish, while Cyprus should also be able to attract and retain talent from elsewhere,’ Michaelidou said.

‘To achieve this, we need an open, attractive and internationally connected higher education system, we are gaining that, we are doing everything to have this internalisation, even amending laws, supported by opportunities for mobility and cooperation’, she said.

European university alliances, she added, can make a significant contribution by building lasting academic and professional networks that remain active even when individuals move between countries and institutions.

Cyprus’ Minister of Health, Neophytos Charalambides, is travelling to Dublin, where he will participate in the Informal Council of EU Health Ministers, which will take place between September 30 and October 1, 2026, as part of the Irish Presidency of the EU Council.

The Ministry of Health said in a press release on Tuesday that during the Summit the Health Ministers of the EU member states will exchange views on significant pillars of European health policy, focusing on innovation, population health, and access to medicines.

Charalambides will return to Cyprus on Friday, October 2, 2026.

Sustainable development, as defined by the European Commission, is development that meets present needs without limiting the ability of future generations to meet their own.[2] It encompasses society’s economic, social and environmental well-being across the short, medium and-most importantly-the long term.[3] This principle is firmly embedded in the European Union’s long-term vision, reflected in Article 3(3) of the Treaty on European Union (EU), which establishes sustainable development as a core objective guiding EU policy and action.

Within this broader framework, climate change has emerged as a central economic concern in recent years due to its growing influence on financial decisions, market behavior and economic stability. Supporting the transition to a climate-resilient and sustainable economy requires a diverse set of financial instruments and innovative financial engineering solutions that can reshape how markets, firms, central banks and investors operate.

Eurosystem initiatives on climate change

The European Central Bank (ECB) has steadily expanded its climate-policy framework since first announcing,[4] in July 2021, an action plan to integrate climate considerations into the Eurosystem’s monetary policy strategy. This plan focuses on strengthening macroeconomic modelling and statistical data to capture climate-related effects, while embedding climate factors into the Eurosystem’s risk management, financial disclosure, collateral framework and asset-purchase operations. Together, these steps aim to ensure that monetary policy better reflects the financial risks associated with climate change.

In January 2024[5], the ECB broadened its climate policy framework to examine three additional areas: the investment needs of the green transition, the economic consequences of rising temperatures, and the macroeconomic impact of environmental degradation and nature-capital loss. These developments reflect the ECB’s view that climate change influences price stability through its effects on inflation, output, employment and interest rates, while also shaping financial stability and the transmission of monetary policy. At the same time, climate and carbon-footprint indicators alter the value and risk profile of assets held on the Eurosystem’s balance sheet, increasing in this way exposure to climate-related financial risks.

As part of its climate-change statistical initiative, the ECB now publishes euro-area data on sustainable debt securities, which are used in this blog article to assess key market trends and to evaluate Cyprus’s standing within the euro area. The analysis highlights both the country’s progress and the areas where further development is needed to strengthen its position in the sustainable debt market. In the ECB classification system, the following four categories of sustainable debt securities are defined:

Green debt securities are debt securities whose proceeds are exclusively allocated to environmentally beneficial projects, such as renewable energy or pollution-reduction initiatives.

Sustainability-linked debt securities refer to debt securities whose financial terms, typically the coupon, adjust depending on the issuer’s achievement of predefined sustainability performance targets.

Social debt securities refer to debt securities dedicated to funding projects with positive social impact, such as affordable housing or access to essential services such as healthcare.

Sustainability debt securities are debt securities that finance a combination of environmental and social objectives within a single instrument.

Holdings of sustainable debt securities by Cyprus residents

By integrating sustainable assets into their portfolios, investors can both reduce exposure to climate-related vulnerabilities and at the same time contribute to the achievement of broader societal goals such as lowering carbon emissions and fostering environmental resilience.[6] Key climate considerations for market participants nowadays include the pricing of climate-related risks,[7] the development of effective climate-related risk-management strategies, strengthening investor awareness, and understanding how climate risks influence investment choices.

Sustainable debt securities have emerged as an important asset class in recent years as demonstrated by their increasing holdings by euro-area investors. Figure 1 depicts the development of sustainable debt securities holdings by euro-area residents since 2021. There is an increasing trend in all categories reaching pound 2 trillion in the euro-area and pound 3,4 billion in Cyprus at the end of the first quarter of 2026, most notably in the green debt securities category. There is also a noticeable increase in sustainability debt securities in Cyprus, whereas in the euro area social debt securities constitute the second most important category.

Table 1 presents detailed country-level data for the first quarter of 2026 (Q1 2026), showing the total value of debt securities held by the residents of each country, the share of these holdings that are classified as sustainable, as well as the individual sustainable categories per country. As expected, total holdings broadly reflect the size of each economy, with Germany, France, and Italy recording the largest amounts. However, when focusing specifically on sustainable debt securities, additional countries-such as Luxembourg, Spain, and the Netherlands-also appear with notably high levels.

The shares of sustainable debt securities within total holdings range from 3,9% to 15,6%, with Cyprus standing slightly above the overall average at 11,5%. The final two rows of Table 1 demonstrate how these sustainable holdings are allocated across the different instrument categories for both Cyprus and euro-area residents, with the latter representing average shares across countries.

Regarding Cyprus, as in the broader euro-area, the largest share corresponds to green debt securities. In contrast, there are marked differences across the remaining categories since allocations to sustainability-linked and social debt instruments in Cyprus are lower, while the share attributed to sustainability debt instruments is comparatively higher.

Sustainable debt securities holdings should be expected to expand further in the coming years, particularly as investors’ awareness of and concerns for sustainability related issues continue to grow. Strengthening financial literacy[8] and public awareness[9] initiatives focused on sustainable investment practices can play a pivotal role in this transition by significantly strengthening investor engagement and enabling more informed participation.

Issuances of sustainable debt securities by Cyprus residents

In addition to sustainable debt securities holdings, corporations and governments are also increasingly considering sustainable debt securities issuances, which signal the issuer’s commitment towards protecting the environment and society’s well-being. Of particular interest in recent years is the price premium associated with sustainable debt securities and their usefulness as financial hedges for sustainability-related risks.[10]

For example, investors tend to react positively when a corporate green bond is announced, especially when it is a first-time issuer and carries a second party opinion (SPO) certification. After issuing such bonds, companies typically strengthen their environmental performance and attract a larger proportion of long-term, environmentally oriented investors.[11] Green bonds are frequently certified by independent third-party entities (SPO certification) to ensure that the proceeds are genuinely allocated to the environmental projects specified in the bond prospectus. Adhering to established green-bond standards therefore demands significant managerial effort and resources, thereby imposing compliance costs on the issuer. Such certifications are nevertheless important for investors who are willing to accept a lower financial return, in exchange for positive environmental externalities.

The evolution of sustainable debt securities issued by euro-area residents since December 2020 is presented in Figure 2. As with sustainable debt holdings, issuance volumes display a steady upward trajectory across all categories, reaching pound 1,8 trillion in the Euro area by the end of March 2026. Over the same period, the corresponding figure for Cyprus amounted to pound 1,4 billion with a noticeably high share of sustainability debt securities. In contrast, issuances in the euro-area are dominated by green debt securities, representing 68% of the total, equivalent to pound 1,2 trillion in March 2026.

Table 2 presents detailed country-level data for March 2026. In addition, to the value of sustainable debt securities issued per country, the table also includes the total value of debt securities issuances and the share of sustainable debt securities within them. Similarly with Table 1, the total level of issuances per country reflects the size of each economy, with France, Germany and Italy leading the group. With regards to the sustainable debt securities issuances, Germany and France are again the main issuers, while the Netherlands hold the 3rd highest value, surpassing Italy.

The share of sustainable debt securities in the total value of issuances per country, in March 2026, ranges from 0,1% to 12,5%, with Cyprus exhibiting a relatively high share of 9,5%. In line with the analysis for debt securities holdings, the last two rows of Table 2 demonstrate how these sustainable issuances are allocated across the different instruments for both Cyprus and euro-area issuers, with the latter representing average shares across countries.

Regarding Cyprus, as previously mentioned, the largest share of issuances (70%) corresponds to sustainability debt securities, amounting to pound 1 billion as of March 2026. In contrast, within the broader euro-area, green bonds represent the predominant category, accounting for 68% of total debt securities issuances, while the corresponding share for Cyprus is only 30% which corresponds to an amount equal to pound 0,4 billion.

It is important to take note of the fact that debt issuance by Cyprus residents is concentrated in the banking and government sectors, with limited corporate issuance. Hence, the decision, for instance, of the Public Debt Management Office to issue a sustainable debt security in 2023 of pound 1 billion explains the elevated share of this sub-category in Cyprus. It is also noteworthy that Cyprus residents have not issued so far, any sustainability-linked or social debt securities, indicating potential areas for future market development. These two categories have likewise remained small across the euro-area as well.

Sustainable debt used as collateral in Cyprus’s monetary policy operations

The ECB’s Governing Council decided in July 2025 to introduce a climate factor into the Eurosystem’s collateral framework as part of its climate-change action plan and its efforts to strengthen the resilience of monetary policy operations to climate-related risks.[12] Scheduled for implementation in the second half of 2026, this measure constitutes a substantive step toward mitigating the financial risks that climate change poses to the Eurosystem’s balance sheet.

The climate factor is designed to adjust the valuation of eligible collateral submitted by counterparties in Eurosystem refinancing operations. It applies specifically to marketable instruments issued by non-financial corporations and their subsidiaries, which are subject to valuation reductions proportional to their exposure to climate-related risks. These adjustments are determined using sector-level climate stress-test outcomes, issuer-specific Corporate Sector Purchase Programme (CSPP) climate scores, and the residual maturity of the asset.

Table 3 presents key information on the sustainable debt securities pledged as collateral by monetary policy eligible credit institutions in Cyprus at the end of Q1 2026. Since June 2025, collateral operations within the Eurosystem have been centrally administered through the Eurosystem Collateral Management System (ECMS),[13] a unified platform for managing all assets mobilised as collateral in Eurosystem credit operations. This system replaced the previously decentralized national frameworks, thereby harmonizing collateral management across the Eurosystem.

At the end of the first quarter of 2026, the use of sustainable debt securities as collateral by credit institutions in Cyprus remained limited, accounting for only 2% of the total value of collateral pledged. The market value of these sustainable instruments amounted to pound 10.9 million (pound 10.5 million after the application of valuation haircuts), with 71% of the securities carrying SPO certification. This limited use is broadly consistent with developments across the Eurosystem, reflecting the relatively low demand for refinancing operations by banks in an environment of excess liquidity.[14] However, looking ahead, the introduction of the climate factor in the second half of 2026 is expected to further increase the use of sustainable debt securities as collateral.

Figure 3 presents a detailed breakdown of the sustainable debt securities pledged as collateral with the Central Bank of Cyprus, disaggregated by the issuer’s country of risk and by instrument type. The largest share of these securities is associated with issuers whose country of risk is Spain, representing 45% of the adjusted collateral value. The remaining securities are distributed across six additional jurisdictions, with Cyprus, Hungary and the Netherlands featuring most prominently. Regarding instrument composition, the sustainable collateral pool consists primarily of sustainability bonds (55%) and green bonds (36%).

Conclusions

Sustainable debt securities have gained increasing prominence across euro-area countries in recent years. They are becoming more widely used as investment instruments in fixed-income portfolios, and as a modern financing tool for institutional debt-security issuers. In Cyprus, sustainable debt securities accounted for 11,5% of total debt securities held by Cyprus residents and 9,5% of total debt securities issued by Cyprus-resident entities in Q1 2026.

Despite this progress, several areas for improvement remain. Cyprus has yet to see issuances of sustainability-linked or social debt securities, and the volume of investment holdings in these categories remains limited. With respect to monetary policy operations, only a small amount of sustainable debt securities has so far been pledged as collateral in the ECMS. Increasing the volume of this collateral class will enable eligible counterparties in Cyprus to benefit more from the introduction of the climate factor within the Eurosystem’s collateral framework for refinancing operations.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Central Bank of Cyprus or any other institution or organisation.

[1] Comments by: Demetra Hadjimichael, Stathis Neofytou, Chrystiana Argyridou and Andreas Mylonas.

[2] A Sustainable Europe by 2030 – European Commission

[3] Inforegio – Sustainable development

[4] ECB presents action plan to include climate change considerations in its monetary policy strategy

[5] ECB steps up climate work with focus on green transition, climate and nature-related risks

[6] Laurent Calvet, Gianfranco Gianfrate and Raman Uppal (2022), The Finance of Climate Change. Journal of Corporate Finance, vol. 73, 102162.

[7] Mathias S. Kruttli, Brigitte Roth Tran and Sumudu W. Watugala (2026), Pricing Poseidon: Extreme Weather Uncertainty and Firm Return Dynamics. Journal of Finance, forthcoming.

[8] Anders Anderson and David T Robinson (2022), Financial Literacy in the Age of Green Investment. Review of Finance, vol. 26, Issue 6, pp. 1551-1584.

[9] Sandra Eickmeier and Luba Petersen (2026), The ECB’s Climate Activities and Public Trust, European Economic Review, vol. 187, 105319.

[10] Peter Feldh?tter, Kristoffer Halskov and Arthur Krebbers (2024), Pricing of Sustainability-Linked Bonds. Journal of Financial Economics vol. 162, 103944.

[11] Caroline Flammer (2021), Corporate Green Bonds, Journal of Financial Economics, vol. 142, pp. 499 – 516.

[12] ECB to adapt collateral framework to address climate-related transition risks

[13] What is the ECMS?

[14] Climate factors: how the ECB tackles climate uncertainty in its collateral framework

Cyprus has called for EU support through cooperation and appropriate funding to address the impact of the energy crisis, Energy, Commerce and Industry Minister, Michalis Damianos, said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the informal meeting of EU Energy Ministers in Dublin, Damianos outlined the particularities of Cyprus’ energy system and measures being promoted to reduce the country’s exposure to energy price volatility, a press release issued by the Ministry said.

Energy affordability was at the centre of the meeting, along with ways to empower consumers through greater choice, better information and more control over their energy consumption and costs. Ministers also discussed innovation and changes in the energy market, energy security and cooperation with strategic partners.

Damianos said Cyprus remains an isolated energy system, with a limited domestic market and high dependence on imported fuels, leaving it particularly exposed to external price increases.

He presented measures including promoting self-generation and energy efficiency in households and small and medium-sized enterprises, as well as the installation of energy storage systems and smart meters.

On electrification, Damianos said affordability, together with the necessary infrastructure, would determine the success of the energy transition in a small and isolated system such as Cyprus. He called for targeted financing tools adapted to the circumstances of member states.

He also noted that, as Cyprus does not have pumped-storage facilities, it considers chemical energy storage and demand response as equivalent flexibility solutions.

On energy security, Damianos noted that Cyprus remains the only EU member state not connected to the European electricity grid. He stressed the importance of resilient critical infrastructure and collective security of supply, saying that interconnection was a key form of system resilience.

He also called for the protection of critical infrastructure to cover the construction stage of projects and said energy security should be addressed on a permanent basis rather than only during price crises.

On the sidelines of the meeting, Damianos held talks with his Hungarian and Lithuanian counterparts on further cooperation in hydrocarbons and natural gas projects. With the Lithuanian Minister, he also discussed coordination ahead of Lithuania’s upcoming EU Council Presidency.

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (C)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 1800 29/09/2026 UNTIL 1800 30/09/2026

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1013hPa (hectopascal)

Weak low pressure is affecting the area. The weather will be partly cloudy with risk of isolated showers.

Visibility: Good, locally moderate

Sea surface temperature: 28°C

Warnings: NIL

AREA PERIOD WIND STATE OF SEA

West Coast

Night Northwest 3 to 4, gradually Northwest to Northeast 3 Slight, gradually Smooth to Slight

Morning Southwest 3, later 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight, later Slight

Afternoon Southwest to West 3 to 4, at times locally 4 Slight

South Coast

Night Southwest to West 3 to 4, gradually Northwest 3 Slight, gradually Smooth to Slight

Morning South to Southwest 3, soon 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight

Afternoon Southwest 4, at times locally 4 to 5 Slight

East Coast

Night Southwest to Northwest 3 Smooth to Slight

Morning South to Southwest 3, soon 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight

Afternoon South to Southwest 3 to 4, at times offshore 4 Slight

North Coast

Night Southeast to Southwest 3 Smooth to Slight

Morning Southwest to West 3, gradually 3 to 4 Slight, gradually Slight

Afternoon Southwest to Northwest 4, at times locally 4 to 5 Slight

Europe has a technology gap that comes from years of inertia in terms of investments, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Nicodemos Damianou, said on Tuesday, at a discussion panel in Cyprus Forum, in Nicosia, regarding Europe’s digital sovereignty.

Damianou pointed out that ”Europe has a technology gap that comes from years of inertia in terms of investments.” ”For Europe, it’s a matter of balancing three things: the regulatory aspect, technological sovereignty, and economic and technological urgency,” he noted.

”Europe is still very slow at taking decisions,” he said, adding that ”we need to be careful when we put forward policies that exclude geographies or solutions, because we need consider the risk of disruption as well.”

Technology starts from the very bottom and involves skilling, innovation and funding, creating thus an ecosystem, Damianou said, adding that ”if that ecosystem is not there, you are never going to catch up.”

A case of the H5N1 Avian Influenza, involving a goose, has been detected at the lake of the Athalassa National Forest Park in the Nicosia District, the Veterinary Services said in a press release on Tuesday.

They also advised those visiting the park to avoid approaching, feeding, and coming into close contact with the birds.

The Veterinary Services noted that they are continuing laboratory tests in collaboration with the Community Reference Laboratory to ascertain the pathogenicity of the virus that has been detected and have informed the European Commission and the World Organisation for Animal Health.

“Poultry farm owners must take all necessary measures to prevent contact between wild or migratory birds and their farmed poultry,” they said.

They also pointed out that Avian Influenza is a viral, contagious disease of birds caused by the Influenza A virus, adding that healthy birds become infected either directly, through direct contact with infected or other sick birds, or indirectly through contaminated objects.

Finally, the Veterinary Services noted that any owner who observes increased morbidity and/or mortality of poultry that raises suspicion of the disease is obliged, under the Animal Health Laws, to immediately inform the Veterinary Officer of the District to which they belong about the suspicion by calling Nicosia District Veterinary Office at 22 805241, Larnaca District Veterinary Office at 24 821275, Famagusta District Veterinary Office at 24 824555, Limassol District Veterinary Office at 25 819512, and Paphos District Veterinary Office at 26 821260.