Category: Cyprus News Agency

Press service

European Parliament

Press release

17-09-2026

Plenary session SANT EMPL

Healthcare: the EU needs to tackle worker shortages to avoid a crisis

Staff shortage of almost one million expected by 2030, including nurses and doctors

Need to increase the number of healthcare workers by at least one million over the next seven years

Increase EU funds for health to ensure investment in the healthcare workforce

Parliament raises the need for the EU to address healthcare sector staff shortages and inadequate working conditions.

On Thursday, Parliament adopted proposals to strengthen healthcare systems and improve employment and working conditions in the healthcare sector by 514 votes in favour, 61 against, and with 33 abstentions.

One million extra healthcare workers

Parliament is asking the Commission for an ambitious strategy to increase the healthcare workforce by at least one million during the next multiannual budgeting period (2028-2034). To increase the number of healthcare professionals, MEPs propose action to attract more young people to the healthcare professions, funds for scholarships, cross-border cooperation, and targeted measures to guarantee fair pay and job stability.

Better working conditions

Healthcare workers should receive fair remuneration, mental health support, and job security, MEPs say. They emphasise the need for high-quality education and training for staff and call for support for rare specialties and advanced practice roles for nurses. Safeguarding the well-being of frontline staff is a major priority, according to MEPs, as one in three doctors and nurses experience mental health challenges. They call for an obligatory framework to recognise unsafe staffing levels as an occupational hazard, compromising of workload controls and doctor-to-patient/nurse-to-patient ratios and to relieve the physical, psychological and administrative burden faced by healthcare workers.

More funds for healthcare

Parliament stresses the need for adequate financing to sustain healthcare systems, including increased public funding and the strategic use of EU funds, as well as an increase in the allocation and efficient use of dedicated EU funding.

Use of AI to support healthcare

While face-to-face care should remain central, MEPs recognise the benefits of digital health solutions, such as telemedicine and AI-supported diagnostics, also to support rural areas where the workforce deficit is particularly acute. To that end, workers should be equipped with essential digital skills and training when it comes to AI.

Quotes

Loucas Fourlas (EPP, CY), rapporteur for the Employment and Social Affairs Committee, said: ‘Hospitals, primary care centres and long-term care services are under increasing pressure due to understaffing, burnout, ageing populations, and growing healthcare demands. This is not only a workforce issue – it is a matter of patient safety, equal access to healthcare and the long-term resilience of our public health systems. We need concrete action, and we need to make real efforts to reduce the brain drain.’

Ruggero Razza (ECR, IT), rapporteur for the Public Health Committee, said: ‘The future of European healthcare depends on our ability to invest in people. Healthcare professionals are the backbone of our healthcare systems, and tackling workforce shortages must become a strategic priority for Europe. We need to make healthcare professions more attractive, strengthen education and training pathways, and create the conditions that allow talent to stay and thrive within our healthcare systems.’

Background

The EU is facing a severe healthcare workforce shortage: there was a deficit of 1.2 million workers in 2022, with an expected deficit of almost one million by 2030 in the European region according to the WHO, as demographic changes and rising long-term care needs are exacerbating the demand for care. Potential risks arising from staff shortages include compromised patient safety, overcrowded emergency services, long waiting times, and delayed diagnoses.

Further information

Committee on Employment and Social Affairs

Committee on Public Health

Procedural file

European Parliament Policy Department study – The health workforce crisis in the European Union

European Parliament Policy Department study – EU legal pathways for addressing the health workforce crisis

Arianne SIKKEN

Press Officer

+32 228 33126 (BXL)

+32 477 99 19 34

arianne.sikken@europarl.europa.eu

empl-press@europarl.europa.eu

EPSocialAffairs

empl.europarl.europa.eu

Thea PIERIDOU

Head of the EP Office in Cyprus

30 Vyronos Avenue – 1096 Nicosia

97 665992

22 870500 / 22 396485

thea.pieridou@ep.europa.eu

Janne OJAMO

Press Officer

(+32) 228 41250 (BXL)

(+32) 470 89 21 92

janne.ojamo@europarl.europa.eu

Sant-press@europarl.europa.eu

EP_PublicHealth

sant.europarl.europa.eu

President of Bulgaria Iliana Iotova has awarded the Order of the Madara Horseman, First Class, to Cyprus Ambassador to Bulgaria Haralambos Kafkarides, in recognition of his significant contribution to strengthening and developing bilateral relations. The ceremony took place on Thursday at the Presidency.

President Iotova said Bulgaria and Cyprus have maintained diplomatic relations for 66 years, built on solidarity, mutual trust and friendship, and marked by a shared ambition to further develop them.

She added that Bulgaria would continue to support a settlement of the Cyprus issue within the framework of the United Nations, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions and the values shared by the two countries as members of the European Union.

Iotova also expressed gratitude for the care shown to Bulgarians living in Cyprus, which she described as particularly important in the difficult and deeply divided times people are living through.

Ambassador Kafkarides thanked the President and the Bulgarian people for the honour.

‘I accept this primarily as a sign of friendship between the two countries,’ he said.

Kafkarides said his connection with Bulgaria began long before he arrived in the country as a diplomat.

He recalled that 60 years ago his parents were students in Sofia, where they met and fell in love. They learned the language, discovered the culture and later returned to Cyprus with fond memories of Bulgaria.

The Ambassador added that he was conceived before his parents left Bulgaria for Cyprus, joking that he considers himself a ‘product of Bulgaria’.

Profitability in Cyprus’ banking sector fell by pound 122 million, or 21.1%, in the first half of 2026, reaching pound 456 million compared with pound 578 million in the corresponding period of 2025, according to aggregate data published on Thursday by the Central Bank of Cyprus.

The decline in profitability was mainly attributed to a loss from foreign exchange differences.

Meanwhile, total assets of the banking sector increased by pound 1.146 billion, or 1.6%, during the second quarter of 2026, reaching pound 71.378 billion at the end of June, from pound 70.232 billion at the end of March. The increase was mainly attributed to higher loans and advances and debt securities.

As regards capital adequacy, the banking sector’s Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) ratio increased by 0.4 percentage points to 25.5% at the end of June 2026, from 25.1% at the end of March.

According to the CBC, the increase was mainly due to higher CET1 capital, which offset the increase in the total risk exposure amount.

The Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices (HICP) increased by 5.2% in August 2026 compared with August 2025, mainly due to the cost of energy and services, according to data published by the Statistical Service on Thursday.

Compared with August 2025, the categories Restaurants and Accommodation Services (13.3%) and Transport (9.8%) recorded the largest increases.

The largest negative changes were observed in the categories Clothing and Footwear (-5.5%) and Information and Communication (-1.6%).

The largest change among the economic categories, was observed in the category Energy (15%).

Compared with July 2026, the HICP increased further by 1.5% in August 2026. The largest increases were recorded in the categories Transport (5.5%), Restaurants and Accommodation Services (2.7%), and Recreation, Sports and Culture (1.2%), and the main decrease in Clothing and Footwear (-1.5%)

The largest change among the economic categories, both compared with August 2025 and July 2026, was observed in the category Energy (15,0% and 4,0% respectively).

The largest change among the economic categories, was, again, observed in the category Energy (4%).

President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, is traveling to New York, where he will address the 81st United Nations General Assembly. During his stay in New York, he will hold a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, his Personal Envoy for Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, as well as heads of state or government and heads of organizations and multinational companies.

A press release by the Presidency says that the President will also hold contacts with representatives of the Cypriot diaspora.

President Christodoulides will begin his contacts on Sunday evening, September 20, with a meeting with the heads of the Greek diaspora organizations, during which he will inform them about the developments as regards the Cyprus issue.

On the next day, September 21, he will have a meeting with King Abdullah II of Jordan, while in the afternoon he will participate in a Summit co-organized by the President of the European Council Antonio Costa and the Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney, on multilateralism, international law, peace and prosperity.

On September 22, President Christodoulides will attend the opening of the Plenary Session of the Summit, during which the UN Secretary-General will present his Progress Report. On the same day, the President of the Republic will have a meeting with President of Chevron’s Base Assets and Emerging Countries Department, Javier la Rosa.

He will then hold a meeting with UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for Cyprus Maria Angela Holguin.

On September 23, the President of the Republic will address the Plenary Session of the UN General Assembly.

Later, he will participate in the proceedings of the High-Level Meeting convened by the UN Secretary-General on Climate Change, during which he will make an intervention.

In the afternoon, he will have a meeting with Vice President of ExxonMobil, John Ardill.

On September 24, the President of the Republic will attend a working breakfast organized by the Antenna Group and the Atlantic Council, entitled ‘Consolidating EU-Gulf Cooperation for Regional Security and Prosperity’.

Later on, President Christodoulides will have a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, at the Secretary-General’s Office, in the UN building.

He will then host a luncheon for the Permanent Representatives of the five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council.

On the morning of September 25, the President of the Republic will meet with Vice President of the People’s Republic of China, Han Zheng, and then with representatives of the AJC.

Before departing from New York, President Christodoulides will attend a dinner organized in his honor by organisations of the Cypriot diaspora.

President Christodoulides, who will be accompanied by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Constantinos Kombos, Government Spokesperson, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, and Greek Cypriot Negotiator, Menelaos Menelaou, will return to Cyprus on the evening of September 26.

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.

Microplastics have been detected for the first time, in urine samples from children in Cyprus, according to preliminary findings of a study, a press release issued by Cyprus University of Technology (CUT), said on Wednesday, adding that the same time that further research will be required in order to confirm that microplastics are systematically detected in children’s urine, to better understand how they are exposed to them, and to determine whether exposure to microplastics may have an impact on their health.

These findings emerge from a study carried out in collaboration between the Cyprus International Institute for Environmental and Public Health (CII) at CUT and researchers from the University of Catania in Italy (https://link.springer.com/ article/10.1186/s12989-026-00694-5).

The study provides preliminary evidence that microplastics can be detected in the urine of primary school children living in Cyprus.

As noted, this suggests that children may be exposed to microplastics in ways that allow these particles to enter and circulate within their bodies.

In fact, using advanced laboratory methods, the researchers were able to detect very small plastic particles and identify the types of plastic present in the urine samples. “Polyethylene and polypropylene were the types detected most frequently,” the report notes.

It is pointed out that the study also found differences in the quantity of microplastics detected among the children. However, it is added, given that a limited number of children took part and the analyses were mainly descriptive, these should not be regarded as evidence of clear differences between groups.

As CUT points out in its press release, the findings are preliminary and must be interpreted with caution. It adds that, in order to confirm that microplastics are systematically detected in children’s urine, to better understand how they are exposed to them, and to determine whether exposure to microplastics may have an impact on children’s health, further research will be required.

Weather Temperature for Cyprus

Today’s weather and temperatures for Cyprus according to the Department of Meteorology

Date 16/09/2026

Station

TEMPERATURE (C) (FROM 20:00 PC of the previous one until the time of the show)

Humidity at

1200 UTC

Highest

Lowest

Nicosia (Athalassa)

36

20

34

Larnaka Airport

31

22

70

Limassol (New Port)

32

23

57

Pafos Airport

30

21

63

Frenaros

33

22

65

Prodromos

28

18

64

Polis Pafos

30

20

67

Minister of Defence Vassilis Palmas discussed Wednesday in Nicosia the security situation in the Republic of Cyprus, Lebanon and the wider region with the new Ambassador of Lebanon to Cyprus.

According to a post on ‘X’ by the Ministry of Defence, Minister of Defence Vassilis Palmas received in his office new Ambassador of Lebanon to the Republic of Cyprus, Reina Charbel, with whom they discussed issues of bilateral cooperation, as well as the latest developments and the security situation in the Republic of Cyprus, Lebanon and the wider region.

No 3+1 or 5+1 meeting on the Cyprus issue on the margins of the UN General Assembly, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday, noting that ‘there is still a lot of work to be done’, but also stressing that “we are determined to move things ahead”.

Responding to a question from the Cyprus News Agency during the press conference ahead of UNGA81- on whether, following his recent conversation with his Personal Envoy for Cyprus, he judged that the conditions he had set in July have been, or were now being met for a possible 3+1 or even 5+1 meeting, the Secretary-General ruled out such a meeting during UNGA.

‘Not on the margins of UNGA,’ Guterres said. ‘There is still a lot of work to be done, but we are determined to move things ahead,’ he added.

The Secretary-General stressed that the United Nations remained committed to advancing the process and creating the conditions for a future meeting to produce results.

‘We are determined to do everything possible for that to take place when conditions are met for the meeting to be successful’ he said.

Guterres also underlined the need to avoid repeating unsuccessful approaches from the past. ‘We cannot repeat the mistakes of the past’ he said.

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. María Angela Holguín, Guterres’ Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties.

Savvas Papasavvas has been elected President of the General Court of the European Union by his fellow Judges for the remainder of the presidential term, namely from 16 September 2026 to 31 August 2028, following the early termination of the term of Marc van der Woude.

Born in 1969 in Nicosia, Savvas S. Papasavvas studied at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, where he obtained a degree in law in 1991. He pursued postgraduate studies at the Université de Paris II in France and, in 1992, obtained a postgraduate degree (D.E.A.) in public law. In 1995, following doctoral studies at the Université d’Aix-Marseille III in France, he was awarded a doctorate in law.

Admitted to the Cyprus Bar Association and a member of the Nicosia Bar Association since 1993, Papasavvas continued his career as a lawyer until his appointment to the General Court in 2004.

He also taught at the University of Cyprus as a teaching fellow from 1997 to 2002. He was subsequently elected Lecturer in Constitutional Law and taught in that capacity from 2002 to 2004.

Papasavvas was appointed Judge at the General Court on 12 May 2004 and was elected President of a Chamber for two consecutive terms, from 15 September 2010 to 25 September 2016. His fellow Judges elected him Vice-President of the General Court on 27 September 2019, a position he held until today, when he was elected President.