Day: October 8, 2021

The Council of Ministers approved on Friday a three-year action plan aiming to combat child sexual abuse and exploitation based on the primary and secondary prevention pillar.

The plan was submitted by the Deputy Minister of Social Welfare Anastasia Anthousi.

In a press release, the Deputy Ministry of Social Welfare notes that the Action Plan lies in the context of the National Strategy to combat Child Sexual Abuse and Child Pornography and aims through actions and initiatives to educate and to increase knowledge and skills of the children themselves and their families as well as of competent professionals and the wider society.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Phedonas Phedonos, Mayor of Pafos on Friday handed the city’s Golden Key to Polish President Andrzej Duda, who toured Pafos, the last stop of his official visit to Cyprus.

Handing the city’s Golden Key to the Polish head of state, Phedonos said his visit to Pafos constitutes “an exceptional honour” acknowledged both by the Municipality as well as by Pafos residents.

Addressing Duda, Phedonos said his visit to the Pafos, sends a message of support to the Polish archaeological missions which for 56 years have been carrying out excavations in ancient Pafos.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has expressed her country’s support to President Anastasiades’ efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem, in a letter on the occasion of his birthday last month.

An announcement issued by the Presidency Friday, says that in a letter to the President of the Republic on the occasion of his birthday on 27 September, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel praised his political action aimed at benefiting Cyprus.

The Chancellor made a special reference to the successful management of both the financial crisis and the pandemic in Cyprus and wished the President to succeed also in his efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Council of Ministers approved on Friday the Economic Diplomacy Strategy for 2021 – 2023 through which the Foreign Ministry and its diplomatic missions abroad undertake a more active role in the promotion of Cyprus’s economic and business interests, as defined by the competent Ministries and the Council of Ministers.

The Foreign Ministry said in a press release that economic diplomacy is exercised in full alignment with the government’s policy pillars and the competent Ministries’ priorities as incorporated in the Strategic Framework for Fiscal Policy and the annual state budget.

The Ministry said it will promote the implementation of the Economic Policy Strategy and will facilitate and strengthen the work of all key stakeholders of Cyprus’ economic and business ecosystem via the promotion of the policy priorities and the economic interests of Cyprus ab

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Justice and Home Affairs Council, which met in Luxembourg on Thursday and Friday, discussed the creation of minimum standards for material detention, the EU’s Strategy on the Rights of the Child, the issue of strategic lawsuits against public participation and the protection of journalists, as well as the latest development regarding the functioning of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office.

Justice Minister Stefi Drakou participated representing Cyprus in the portions of the discussion focusing on justice issues.

During the first day of the JHA Council, the Ministers held a thorough debate on pre-trial detention.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Deputy Minister Kyriacos Kokkinos has said that very soon incentives will be announced in regulatory taxation and immigration policies aiming to enhance digital fitness across industry and society and tools to facilitate access to funding, encourage R&D activity, advance digital transformation of businesses and promote the development of new ventures.

In an address at the Cyprus IT Forum 2021, in Limassol, delivered by Chief Scientist Nikolas Mastroyiannopoulos on his behalf, Kokkinos said that “in the aftermath of COVID-19 Cyprus competitiveness sustainability and prosperity strongly depend on our capacity to develop and advance our posture as a regional tech and innovation hub.”

Our country, he noted, has unique strengths such as human capital, geostrategic location, business friendly environment that can be further

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Interior Minister Nicos Nouris said that Cyprus, along with the other four members of the MED5 group (Greece, Italy, Malta and Spain) will raise their concerns regarding a new proposed Screening Regulation, during Friday’s Home Affairs Council taking place in Luxembourg.

Speaking upon arrival to the Council, Nouris said that the front line Mediterranean states will propose certain measures based on the idea that all measures, as well as the new proposed Pact on Migration and Asylum, need to be suffused with the principles of solidarity and responsibility. The proposals will focus on border management and the promotion of bilateral agreements with third countries on returns of migrants, he said.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The majority of member states recognised the need to adopt specific measures against irregular migration and the need for reaching return agreements with third countries, Interior Minister Nicos Nouris said after the conclusion of a discussion on migration during the Home Affairs Council in Luxembourg.

Nouris said that Thursday’s Home Affairs Council was particularly important since Cyprus “clearly explained that it is facing unbearable pressures, making particular reference to the instrumentalisation of migration by Turkey”.

According to the Interior Minister, “for the first time, and in the most official manner, the right of the Republic of Cyprus to monitor the Green Line, which is not our external border, was recognised”.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Cabinet decided on Friday to ease in a targeted way a number of measures that were imposed to contain the spread of pandemic as of Saturday, including increasing the presence of spectators at football matches to 75% of stadium capacity, increasing the number of people in the audience in theatres, amphitheaters, cinemas and entertainment venues as well as the number of people allowed, among other establishments, in churches, hotels, restaurants, bars, pubs and clubs.

All the other measures continue to be in place until October 29.

In a press release the Ministry of Health said that Health Minister Michalis Hadjipantelas informed the Cabinet about the current epidemiological situation, noting that there is a steady improvement of epidemiological and hospital indicators, a drop in the number of new cases of COVID-19 and a decreased of the number of people n

Source: Cyprus News Agency