Day: June 10, 2021

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Building permits increase 24.3% in the first quarter of 2021

Building permits recorded a significant increase of 24.3% during the period January – March 2021, compared to the same period last year, according to data announced Thursday by the Statistical Service of Cyprus.

More specifically 1,897 building permits were issued compared to 1,526 in the corresponding period of the previous year.

The total value of these permits increased by 9.1% and the total area by 12.0%. The number of dwelling units recorded an increase of 26,2%.

The number of building permits authorized by the municipal authorities and the district administration offices during March 2021 stood at 747. The total value of these permits reached €199.8 million and the total area 206.1 thousand square meters. These building permits provide for the construction of 1,033 dwelling units.

Building permits constitute a leading in

Source: Cyprus News Agency

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Authorities in Cyprus need to stop processing pending ‘golden passport’ applications, Commission spokesman tells CNA

European Commission Spokesman Christian Wigant told CNA that the authorities in Cyprus need to end the golden passports scheme in its entirety and stop processing the pending applications as this is in violation of EU Law. He further explained that if and when the authorities end the program in its entirety, then the Commission will look into this, but for the time being it is up to Cyprus to respond to the concerns addressed by the Commission reasoned opinion issued Wednesday.

More specifically, European Commission Spokesman Christian Wigant told CNA that “yesterday, the European Commission took the next steps in the infringement procedures regarding the investor citizenship schemes operated by Cyprus and Malta, also referred to as ‘golden passport’ schemes”.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

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CoE Committee of Ministers examines Kakoulli and Isaak groups of cases against Turkey

The Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, which supervises the implementation of judgments from the European Court of Human Rights, has published its decision concerning the Kakoulli and Isaak groups of cases against Turkey. The Committee calls the Turkish authorities to provide additional information on a number of issues by 31 December 2021 and says that it will resume the examination of these cases in June 2022 at the latest.

The Committee recalled that these cases concern four killings and one life-threatening injury of Greek-Cypriots in 1996, three of which took place during demonstrations in or around the United Nations buffer zone in Cyprus, due to excessive use of force or fire-arms by Turkish or Turkish-Cypriot military or “police” forces and lack of effective and impartial investigations.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

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CoE Conference discussing challenges and threats from artificial intelligence kicks off

Misinformation, disinformation and propaganda are now happening on a massive scale and are easy to target over a world living in an increasingly social media existence, Cyprus President, Nicos Anastasiades, said on Thursday, addressing a two-day online Conference of Ministers responsible for the Media and Information Society of the Council of Europe titled “Artificial Intelligence – Intelligent Politics: Challenges and Opportunities for Media and Democracy”.

The conference is organized by the Council of Europe (CoE) and the Republic of Cyprus, through the Press and Information Office (PIO), and is under the auspices of the President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades, while the Minister of Interior, Nicos Nouris, is chairing it as host Minister.

Anastasiades said in his address during the opening of the conference that “we need to reflect on the various cha

Source: Cyprus News Agency