Day: June 29, 2022

The agreement reached on Wednesday at the EU Environment Council in Luxembourg on the ‘Fit for 55’ legislative package, in the framework of efforts to address climate change constitutes a very important step towards the implementation of the European Green Deal, Government Spokesperson Marios Pelekanos says in a written statement.

He notes that during the intensive negotiations that took place, Cyprus managed to achieve the recognition of its particularities as an island Member State and, therefore, the inclusion in the agreement of special provisions concerning, ia, its air and maritime connectivity, its different starting point in the energy sector and its status as a maritime state.

Noting the target to reduce net emissions by 55% by 2030, he adds, that Cyprus has secured relevant facilities in relation to its particularities, so that the cost will not be disproportionate”.

Regarding shipping, Pelekanos notes that Cyprus has managed to secure increased revenue through the auction of emissions allowances and refers to the integration of its proposal to reward the use of sustainable aviation fuel which is expected to contribute significantly to the green transition on a pan-European level.

“Cyprus expects the agreement to be finalized during the negotiations with the European Parliament, which are expected to begin next autumn,” he continues.

This positive development for Cyprus, he says, comes as a continuation of the Conclusions adopted by the EU Summit last May.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

There is an increase in the number of children admitted to the Makarios Hospital with COVID, according to head of Pediatric Clinic, Dr Avraam Elia, who told CNA this is due to lifting all restrictive measures and the Omicron BA5 subvariant.

He said that in the last days the number of children admitted doubled from two to three and is now around six to seven daily. Most are under five and there are even infants. The children present symptoms of high fever, with numbers a lot higher than other variants and lasting three to four days.

Children also complain of feeling unwell, not wanting to eat or having gastrointestinal disorders and many have to be admitted to take intravenous hydration and supportive treatment.

Currently, there are six children in hospital with COVID. Three were released on Tuesday and two were admitted. Two children are under a year old, Dr Elia said.

Asked about their condition, Dr. Elia remarked that the children’s condition is not serious, they are out of danger and also there is no lower respiratory infection. Until now, he noted, no lower respiratory infections, pneumonia or bronchitis were reported.

He said they hoped there will not be an increase in cases with the late complication of the coronavirus which is usually observed a few weeks after the onset of COVID, the so-called Minsk syndrome.

“It is something that we are monitoring. If we observe children, who are indicative of Minsk’s syndrome, such as children with a high fever that persists beyond three days, children who are unwell, have fatigue, rash, gastrointestinal disorders, the appropriate diagnosis and treatment must be made,” he added.

Asked about the increase in the number of children admitted with COVID, Dr. Elia said it was due to lifting all restrictive health measures and masks abolished in indoor areas. This resulted in a surge of cases, he said something that has been observed in other European countries too.

He also said the Omicron BA5 subvariant is highly transmissible and easily causes disease.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The deal reached by the Ministers for the Environment of the European Union on five key proposals of the “Fit for 55 package” is a balanced deal that contains targeted provisions regarding maritime and air transport and the effect of the measures on transport, Environment and Transport Ministers Kostas Kadis and Yiannis Karousos said in a joint written statement after the meeting.

The two ?inisters pointed out that Cyprus had been supporting these proposals from the beginning and that the country has contributed to the discussion through constructive proposals, which helped arrive at a deal which takes into account issues faced by Cyprus as an island state.

According to Kadis and Karousos, Cyprus is expected to benefit from the measures which will lead to a significant reduction of greenhouse gases.

The provisions that affect Cyprus, according to the ?inisters, are securing increased revenues through auctioning emission allowances in the maritime sector, as well as providing funding for the green transition in the sector; an exception for the maritime connection between Cyprus and Greece.

Also assigning emission allowances to island states like Cyprus to promote sustainable aviation fuel and the preparation of a study on how to ensure air connectivity for island states.

The two Ministers also pointed to specific provisions such as the inclusion of the SAF Allowance Mechanism which, they recalled, was a Cypriot proposal. Such provisions, they said, will provide incentives towards a green transition in the sector and will help secure the connectivity of island states and isolated regions.

The Ministers said this was a landmark deal towards the goal to reduce net greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and to achieve climate neutrality by 2050.

According to the ministers, the deal was a result of many months of negotiations between the member states and the institutions and opens the way to achieving the EU’s goals and just green transition for the economy and society, allowing the EU to fulfil its obligations taken in the Paris Agreement.

Kadis and Karousos point out that the deal focuses on limiting emissions from road transport, buildings, maritime transport, aviation, heavy industry and the use of land, while also providing new construction standards for vehicles.

Member states will be supported in this effort through financial tools such as the Social Climate Fund and other funds geared towards fostering innovation and modernising energy systems, they added.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

In April 2022, the Industrial Production Index reached 126 units (base 2015=100), recording an increase of 0.6% compared to April 2021, according to data published by the Cyprus Statistical Service.

The manufacturing sector registered an increase of 0.2% compared to April 2021. An increase of 19.7% was also observed in the sector of water supply and materials recovery and a 1% increase in the sector of electricity supply. The mining and quarrying sector recorded a decrease of 13.1% compared to April 2021.

According to the data, in the manufacturing sector, the most significant positive changes compared to April 2021 were observed in the manufacturing of textiles, wearing apparel and leather products, with an increase of 54.5%, furniture and repair/installation of machinery and equipment with 13.6% and machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and other transport equipment with a 4.2% increase.

The most significant negative changes were observed in the manufacturing of electronic, optical products and electrical equipment, that recorded a 33% decrease, paper, paper products and printing with a decrease of 17% and wood and products of wood and cork, except furniture with a 9.9% decrease.

Furthermore, for the period January – April 2022, the index recorded an increase of 3.8% compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.

Comparing the rates of change for this period against the corresponding period of the previous year, the most significant positive changes were observed in the economic activities of manufacturing of textiles, wearing apparel and leather products, that increased by 60.4%, water collection, treatment and supply, by 43.5%, electricity supply, by 16.1%, manufacturing of furniture and repair/installation of machinery and equipment with an increase of 12.6%) and manufacturing of machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and other transport equipment by 5.4%.

The most significant negative changes where a decrease in production was observed compared to the period January – April 2021 were those relating to the manufacturing of electronic and optical products and electrical equipment, with a decrease of 16.6%, materials recovery, by 14.2%, the manufacturing of paper, paper products and printing. by 13.1%, the manufacturing of wood and products of wood and cork, except furniture with a decrease of 9.5%, mining and quarrying by 8.8% and the manufacturing of non-metallic mineral products by 6.9%.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The reunification of Cyprus is the only acceptable solution, according to international law and the European principles and values, Ambassador of Portugal in Cyprus Vanda Maria Dias Stelzer Sequeira stressed on Wednesday during a meeting with President of the House of Representatives Annita Demetriou.

According to a press release by the Parliament, during the meeting they reaffirmed the very good relations between the two states and expressed the will to further enhance relations, especially on the parliamentarian level.

Demetriou said that Turkey’s position for a solution of “two states” in Cyprus will never be accepted and has been rejected by the international community.

Referring to the war in Ukraine, she said that despite the fact that the international community has not shown the same sensitivity in the case of Cyprus, which is under Turkish occupation for 48 years, the Greek Cypriot side remains committed in international law and the resumption of the Cyprus talks based on the agreed UN framework for the reunification of the island.

She also referred to Turkey’s provocations in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone and in the fenced off area of Famagusta.

The Portuguese Ambassador underlined that her country stands by Cyprus on the basis of principles and is very supportive in the efforts to reunify the country which constitutes the sole acceptable solution based on international law and the European values and principles.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The deal reached by the Ministers for the Environment on five laws from the “Fit for 55” package includes a mechanism which will cover 100% of additional costs incurred by airlines because of the need use sustainable fuel, Transport Minister Yiannis Karousos explained in a written statement from Luxembourg.

Karousos accompanied Environment Minister Kostas Kadis in the EU’s Council of Environment Ministers which took place on Tuesday.

Karousos said that after an initiative by Cyprus, the proposed directive on extending the Emissions Trading System to aviation within the EU now includes an SAF Allowance Mechanism.

The Cypriot Minister explained that this mechanism will help mitigate the increase in the cost of fuel that will take place when sustainable aviation fuel is first used.

According to Karousos, this will work through assigning 20 million free emission allocations in order to cover about 70% of the increase in cost that will come from using sustainable fuel, compared to using regular fuel. Through this mechanism, Karousos said, the European aviation sector including Cyprus will gain an additional 1.1 billion euros in earnings.

The deal also contains a specific reference to “islands states with a size smaller than 10,000 km² for which the difference in cost will be covered 100%,” according to Karousos. The total funding will reach about 500 million euros, he added.

Karousos pointed out that the main aim of the Cypriot side was to ensure that the country would not be negatively affected, and added that Cyprus insisted that a study be carried out on the impact of the directive on the competitiveness of the its economy and connectivity.

Finally, Karousos said that there is every reason to be proud of the fact that Cyprus made proposals that were adopted at EU level.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

CUT coordinates the MILI project aiming at finding a way to detect milk contaminants

MILI (EXCELLENCE/0421/0188) is a research project co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund and the Republic of Cyprus through the Research and Innovation Foundation. MILI project started in June 2022. The duration of the project will be 24 months with a total budget of 249.900,00 euros. The consortium includes the Cyprus University of Technology (CUT – coordinator), CyRIC (Cyprus Research and Innovation Center Ltd), the Frederick Research Centre, and the National Research Council of Italy (CNR).

Milk and dairy products can be a source of contaminants that can have serious health implications. MILI is a research and innovation project that aims to find a rapid, cheap and effective way to detect milk contaminants. The main objective of the project is to design and develop a novel method and related prototype to simultaneously detect in less than 10 minutes a selected panel of common milk contaminants (Aflatoxin-M1 and 2 antibiotics, namely Penicillin and Enrofloxacin) at the farm level (before loading milk in the truck).

The technology is based on state-of-the-art biophotonics, combining customised biosensors, optical analysis, electronics and software modules.

Currently, the laboratory methods used by dairy industries for the detection of contaminants in milk, are time consuming (3-4 hours), expensive, require specialized staff and must be performed in the lab after receiving the milk from the different farms. If a small portion of the loaded milk is contaminated, then the contamination will spread to the whole truck load (wasted supply). Consequently, the financial losses to both farmers (penalties based on regulation for delivering contaminated milk) and the receiving dairy factories (reduced milk quantities therefore production impacts) are vast.

MILI-proposed technology will result to a cost-effective analytical system that can be used at farm level and generate results in less than 10 minutes, without the need of visiting the lab or using highly skilled personnel.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Marios Georgiou and Charalambos Choiras won on Tuesday bronze medals in the 19th Mediterranean Games, taking place in Oran.

According to an announcement by the Cyprus Olympic Committee, following the success of Georgiou and Chiras, Cyprus now has 4 bronze medals in the Games. Georgiou, in Gymnastics-Artistic, won the bronze medal in Men’s All Around Final with 81,800 points. In first place was Anem Asil from Turkey with 84,700 points and in the second place was Joel Plaza from Spain with 81,450.

Later on Tuesday, Cyprus captured its fourth bronze medal in the Mediterranean Games, with Charalambos Choiras in Men’s Freestyle 86Kg Wrestling event.

Choiras defeated Osman Hajari of Albania with 6-1 in the medal race.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Today, the Commission took another important step to help Member States, regional and local authorities and partners to address the consequences of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine by adopting the ‘Flexible Assistance to Territories (FAST-CARE)’. This is a new comprehensive package that extends the support already provided under Cohesion’s Action for Refugees in Europe (CARE) by offering further support and further flexibility to Cohesion Policy funding.

CARE mobilised investments for housing, healthcare, translation services or training for displaced people, as well as for the countries receiving them. However, as needs continue to grow, the European Council, the European Parliament and EU regions called the Commission to present new initiatives within the Multiannual Financial Framework to support the Member States’ efforts in this regard.

FAST-CARE is responding to these requests by offering additional flexibility for the implementation of Cohesion Policy investments, also contributing to mitigate the delayed implementation of EU-funded projects due to the combined effect of COVID-19 and the high energy costs, shortage of raw materials and labour force caused by the war.

The package introduces three changes to the 2014-2020 and 2021-2027 Cohesion Policy legislation to further speed up and simplify Member States’ support to the integration of third country nationals, while continuing to help regions’ recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic:

More support for those welcoming displaced people – Member States, local authorities and civil society organizations

The pre-financing payments are increased by an additional €3.5 billion to be paid in 2022 and 2023, which will provide rapid additional liquidity to all Member States. This comes on top of the €3.5 billion of pre-financing payments already made under REACT-EU since March 2022.

The possibility of 100% co-financing by the EU under the 2014-2020 period is now extended to measures promoting the socio-economic integration of third country nationals. This possibility is also extended to 2021-2027 programmes, to be reviewed by mid-2024.

Member States may increase the amount of the simplified unit cost to cover the basic needs of refugees from €40 introduced by CARE, to €100 per week per person. They may claim these costs for a period of up to 26 weeks, from 13 weeks today. This enables further simplifying the use of the funds for displaced people.

The cross-financing possibility already granted under CARE between the European Regional Development Fund and European Social Fund (ESF) will be extended to the Cohesion Fund. This means that the Cohesion Fund may now also mobilise resources to address the consequences of the migratory challenges.

Ensuring that investments go where they are needed

At least 30% of the resources mobilised by the flexibilities provided should be granted to operations managed by local authorities and civil society organisations operating in local communities so that those bearing the brunt of the efforts receive adequate support.

Expenditure of operations addressing migratory challenges may now be declared retroactively for reimbursement, even when the operation has already been completed.

Programmes may support operations outside the programme’s geographical scope, but within the Member State. This will allow channelling support where it is most needed as refugees often move within Member States.

Practical support to solve the problem of delayed implementation of projects.

Projects above €1 million (e.g., in the construction sector), supported under the 2014-2020 programmes but which could not be completed in time due to price increases, shortages of raw material and labour force, may continue to be supported under 2021-2027 programmes.

More flexibility for Member States at closure of programmes to maximise the amount of the funds they can get even when the implementation has been delayed.

Members of the College said:

Executive Vice-President for an Economy that Works for People, Valdis Dombrovskis, said: “The EU stands in full solidarity with Ukraine against Russia’s brutal aggression. EU Member States have welcomed millions of Ukrainians fleeing from this war, but they also have to deal with its economic consequences – extra costs and supply chain difficulties, for example. Today’s proposal has an important humanitarian and economic objective: to improve the EU’s support for displaced people from Ukraine and to simplify Member States’ work to carry out key EU-funded projects that now risk being delayed. We will do this by making EU cohesion policy rules simpler and more flexible, following the principles of sound financial management and adhering to our Green Deal objectives.”

Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, added: “The consequences of Russia’s unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine are growing by the day. From the beginning, Cohesion Policy has been offering a comprehensive and pragmatic response to the various difficulties encountered by Member States and regional and local authorities. Today, with our FAST-CARE proposals, we step up our assistance by proposing additional flexibility and more means under Cohesion Policy to integrate third country nationals and support those who are doing it first-hand. These proposals will also contribute to mitigate the combined negative impact of COVID-19 and of the war in the implementation of programmes.”

Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, said: “The EU has so far welcomed more than 6.2 million people fleeing from Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine. Member States authorities and civil society organisations are doing a great job under very difficult circumstances in providing food, shelter, education, counselling and employment opportunities to those arriving. The FAST-CARE package is a concrete way to provide additional solidarity to all Member States with the tools and funds we have at our disposal.”

Next steps

The proposed amendments to the 2014-2020 Common Provisions Regulation and to the 2021-2027 Common Provisions Regulation require adoption by the European Parliament and the Council.

Background

The EU continues to stand by Ukraine in light of the unprovoked and unjustified military aggression by Russia. It also stands by its Member States in their effort in welcoming refugees from Ukraine.

CARE introduced high levels of flexibility for Member States to use available 2014-2020 Cohesion Policy funds and resources from the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived to support people fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and provide basic material assistance like food and clothing.

In addition, the Commission paid €3.5 billion of pre-financing under REACT-EU and further simplified the mobilisation of funds thanks to the introduction of unit costs per person, to cover for immediate needs of refugees such as food, basic material assistance, accommodation and transportation. Moreover, the 2022 envelope of €10 billion of REACT-EU funds may be used immediately to address these new needs.

Today’s legislative proposals further extend the support of the Commission to stakeholders. They optimise the effective use of the funds and address further needs of Member States and regional and local authorities following the war in Ukraine.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides travels to UAE on Wednesday evening for a working visit.

A press release by the MFA says that Kasoulides will meet on Thursday with his counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, with whom he will discuss the bilateral ties and ways to enhance them in areas such as the economy, trade, tourism and investments, EU-UAE relations, the Cyprus issue and other regional issues of mutual interest.

The Cypriot Minister will also be received by the Speaker of the Federal National Council, Saqr Ghobash, and will have consultations with other government officials. He returns home Friday.

Source: Cyprus News Agency