Day: November 3, 2022

In September 2022, seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate was at 6.6% for the eurozone, at 6.0% for the EU and at 8.0% for Cyprus according to figures published by Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union.

 

Particularly in the case of Cyprus, the unemployment rate was at 8.0% in September, down from 8.3% in August, and up from 6.2% in September 2021.

 

Unemployment among youth under 25 in Cyprus remained stable in September compared to August at 21.7%, having increased compared to September 2021 when the rate stood at 14.9%. Youth unemployment in the eurozone and the EU increased slightly to 14.6% compared to August (from 14.4% and 14.3% respectively) and decreased compared to last year (from 15.4%).

 

The euro area seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased in September 2022, falling to 6,6% compared to 6.7% in August 2022 and compared to 7.3% in September 2021.

 

The EU unemployment remained stable at 6.0% compared with August 2022 and decreased from 6.7% in September 2021.

 

Eurostat estimates that 12,960 million men and women in the EU, of whom 10,988 million in the euro area, were unemployed in September 2022.

 

Compared with August 2022, the number of persons unemployed decreased by 52 thousand in the EU and by 66 thousand in the euro area. Compared with September 2021, unemployment decreased by 1,304 million in the EU and by 1,071 million in the euro area.

 

In Cyprus, the number of unemployed in September 2022 was at 39 thousand, having increased compared to August from 41 thousand, and also increased compared to September 2021 from 29 thousand.

 

Youth unemployment

 

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In September 2022, 2,747 million young persons (under 25) were unemployed in the EU, of whom 2,241 million were in the euro area.

 

In September 2022, the youth unemployment rate was 14.6% both in the EU and in the euro area, up from 14.3% and 14.4% respectively in the previous month.

 

Compared with August 2022, youth unemployment increased by 48 thousand in the EU and by 25 thousand in the euro area.

 

Compared with September 2021, youth unemployment decreased by 79 thousand in the EU and by 50 thousand in the euro area.

 

The percentage of youth unemployment in Cyprus remained stable in September compared to August at 21.7% (which corresponds to 9 thousand unemployed people), and increased compared to September 2021 when the youth unemployment rate was at 14.9% (6 thousand people in absolute numbers).

 

Unemployment by sex

 

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In September 2022, the unemployment rate for women was 6.4% in the EU, stable compared with August 2022. The unemployment rate for men was 5.7% in September 2022, also stable compared with the previous month.

 

In the euro area, the unemployment rate for women was 7.1%, down from 7.2% in the previous month, while the unemployment rate for men was 6.2%, stable compared with the previous month.

 

In Cyprus, unemployment among women decreased from 10.0% in August to 9.2% in September 2022, and increased for men from 6.7% to 6.8%.

 

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Just 32 bounced cheques, of a total value of €47,010 were issued in October 2022 with a total of 20 persons registered in the preliminary list of the Central Information Register (CIR) for bounced cheques of the Central Bank of Cyprus (CBC). Seven out of the twenty were legal entities and 13 natural persons.

 

In the two previous months, September and August 2022, cheques of a value of €260,353 and €101,718 were registered, respectively.

 

According to data announced by the CBC on Thursday, in the period January – October 2022, a total of 404 checks, worth €1,386,899, have been registered in the preliminary list of the CIR.

 

From January 2020 to October 2022, 728 persons have been registered while 1,221 bounced cheques with a total value of €3,062,544 have been issued.

 

Moreover, according to the data, the number of persons registered in the CIR in October 2022 reached 17, of which 6 concern legal entities, 3 natural persons and 8 natural persons who control legal entities.

 

In total, in the period January – October 2022, 209 persons have been registered in the CIR, of which 76 are legal entities, 43 natural persons and 90 natural persons who control legal entities.

 

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Minister of Defence, Charalambos Petrides, gave today the assurance that the Republic of Cyprus is committed to complying with the responsibilities deriving from oil and gas exploitation activities in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone.

 

In statements on the sidelines of the multinational exercise “NEMESIS 2022”, part of which he attended from the Operations Center of the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) in Larnaca, the Minister said that “we attended part of the scenarios concerning the multinational exercise “NEMESIS 2022″, with the participation of eight countries including the Republic of Cyprus. For the first time, special emphasis was given on the maritime area where 9 of the 13 pieces (of the Cypriot EEZ) were included in various exercises”.

 

He added that “with this exercise we show the interdisciplinary but also the multinational cooperation between the countries and our preparedness for emergency needs within our Exclusive Economic Zone”.

 

The Minister congratulated all participants as well as the more than 20 government services and private organisations that participated with various means and personnel in today’s demanding exercise, which is being conducted with complete success.

 

Moreover, in his address, the Minister of Defence said that “this important Multinational Exercise has become one of our flagship activities with a true regional outlook.”

 

NEMESIS, he noted, “is now in its ninth consecutive year, since its inception back in 2013, and has become an integral part of our annual Exercise program with key partners, stakeholders, government agencies, the private sector and importantly the oil and gas industry.”

 

He added that “we are making every effort to continuously improve and upgrade the procedures for addressing any emergency situation such as terrorist attack, Search and Rescue, marine pollution within Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone. As we are bound by following international law and UNCLOS our actions and partnerships aim to promote a safe and secure Eastern Mediterranean for delivering growth and prosperity to all countries in the region”.

 

As Petrides said “the success of this multinational and multiagency exercise is based on the high level of cooperation and coordination amongst all the participants. It is, truly, a comprehensive and holistic exercise which includes the private sector and the oil and gas industry in order to integrate their needs.”

 

He also added that “NEMESIS 2022, like every large-scale exercise, is a great opportunity to extract valuable lessons that will enhance our capabilities, capacities and update our procedures.”

 

He also expressed the belief that “I have no doubt that all participants will grasp this opportunity to take their professionalism a step further and draw important lessons learned”.

 

The Minister of Defence also expressed his sincere gratitude to the countries that participate with assets and personnel, namely Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States of America. “We hope that next year, on the tenth anniversary of “NEMESIS”, more countries will participate” he said and noted that the long-term support of these countries, “is an honor and a tribute to our bilateral defense cooperation with each country participating in the exercise”.

 

At the same time, he described the exercise as “very important for the promotion of effective regional cooperation for the stability and security of the region as a whole”.

 

It is noted that the exercise, which is conducted in four phases, was attended by the Chief of the National Guard and the Ambassadors of Greece and Israel.

 

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The multinational exercise “NEMESIS 2022”, concluded on Thursday in 9 blocks of the Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone and included counter-terrorism scenarios on a hydrocarbon platform, boarding operations on suspicious boats, air-evacuation of trapped and injured persons, mass rescue operation as a result of the abandonment of the platform, as well as anti-pollution operations.

 

A total of 8 countries participated in the exercise which took place in blocks 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 13 of the Cyprus’ EEZ.

 

Aeronautical assets and personnel from Cyprus, Greece, France, the UK, the USA, Israel, Italy and Egypt, as well as of 3 private companies and the European Services (EMSA) European Maritime Safety Agency and the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (REMPEC) participated in the exercise.

 

Minister of Defence Charalambos Petrides with the Ambassadors and Defence Attaches of the participating countries watched part of the exercise’s scenario from Joint Rescue Coordination Center’s (JRCC) premises in Larnaca.

 

The exercise, an JRCC press release says, is part of the preparation of all government services, which are involved in the implementation of the energy program of the Republic of Cyprus, with the aim to be ready and prepared to deal with any emergency incident on hydrocarbon extraction platforms.

 

The overall coordination of the exercise was under the JRCC, in collaboration with the Deputy Ministry of Shipping, the National Guard, the Cyprus Police and the Department of Fisheries.

 

For the successful execution of the scenarios, Cyprus implemented and tested 3 Special National Plans (SNPs) included in the National Master Plan of the Republic “ZENON”, the SNP “ASPIDA” (shield) of the Ministry of Justice and Public Order for the counter-terrorism operations, the SNP “TEFKROS” of the Ministry of Defense for the mass search and rescue operations and the SNP “ORPHEAS” of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment for the anti-pollution operations.

 

The results of the exercise and the field-testing of the SNPs, will be evaluated and accordingly handled by the involved agencies, to further improve the procedures applied for dealing with distress situations that may occur during the implementation of the energy program of the Republic of Cyprus.

 

Overall, in the exercise participated 7 assets from foreign countries, 12 assets and services of the Republic of Cyprus, 3 private companies and 2 international organisations. Particularly, participants consisted of 1 Frigate of the Greek Navy, 1 “C-130” Aircraft of the Hellenic Air Force of Hellenic National Defence General Staff, the French Maritime Operations Aircraft “ATLANTIQUE”, 1 helicopter of 84 SQUADRON of the United Kingdom, 1 Italian “P-72” Aircraft, 1 OPV of the Italian Coast Guard and 1 American ”P-8” aircraft.

 

The Republic of Cyprus participated with 5 warships of the Navy Command of the General Staff of National Guard, 2 Helicopters of 460 MED / National Guard), 1 UAV of 470 Airforce Command / National Guard, 1 Helicopter of the CPAU, 1 Aircraft of the Forestry Department and 2 patrol boats of the Port and Marine Police.

 

Additionally, the “ALEXANDRIA” tanker of “PETRONAV” company, financed by EMSA, as well as 1 boat of EDT Offshore company participated in the scenarios while PETROLINA covered part of the fuel for the aircraft involved in the exercise.

 

Special Operations Teams executed various scenarios during the exercise, and specifically the Special Counter-Terrorism Team of the Emergency Response Unit of Cyprus Police, the 31st Airborne Search and Rescue Operations Squadron of Special Operations Command of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, the 747 Disaster Response Team of Hellenic Army, the special team of the 865 Aerial Delivery Battalion, teams of the Underwater Demolition Team of the Navy Command of the General Staff of National Guard, the Cyprus Naval Mariners Reserve Association, the Disaster Response Special Unit (D.R.S.U.) of Cyprus Fire Service, as well as specialized nurses of the Ambulance Service of the State Health Services Organization, the 2 Special Rescue Teams of Larnaca and Paphos Airport and the Marine Pollution Response Team of Department of Fisheries and Marine Research.

 

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Member states have competence when it comes to national security, but also when it comes to overseeing the actions of security services so they respect fundamental rights and freedom of expression, Commission spokesperson for justice related issues Christian Wigand told the Cyprus News Agency on Thursday.

 

Wigand underlined that the Commission expects national authorities to “thoroughly examine” accusations regarding illegal surveillance and the use of “illegal spyware” and added that issues regarding rule of law are addressed by the Commission through the national chapters of its annual rule of law report.

 

“What I can say and remind you of is that member states are competent to safeguard their national security and they must oversee and control their security services to ensure that they fully respect fundamental rights, including protection of personal data, the safety of journalists, and freedom of expression” Wigand said responding to a CNA question during the Commission’s midday press briefing in Brussels.

 

“So they must carry out any such activities also with full respect of relevant EU law including case law of the Court of Justice,” he added.

 

The spokesperson also noted that “the investigation of any concrete cases is of course the responsibility of each EU member state” and that for this reason “the Commission expects national authorities to thoroughly examine any such allegations and restore citizens’ trust”.

 

“Defending rule of law is a joint responsibility of all EU institutions and member states” he continued, pointing out that what the Commission does is that we address rule of law issues in a systemic manner “to ensure that independent investigations, independence of the judiciary, proper checks and balances et cetera are in place in our member states”, and that these are key elements of the Commission’s annual cycle of rule of law reports.

 

“On concrete cases and application of the relevant rules where any potentially illegal activity should take place, such as the use of illegal spyware to access the data of citizens, this is a responsibility of the national authorities,” Wigand noted.

 

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Cyprus, and the coastal city of Limassol was assigned to organise the European Maritime Day (EMD) for 2026, Deputy Ministry for Shipping has announced.

 

The European Maritime Day was established in 2008 and is celebrated on May 20 each year in European coastal city, selected on a specific set of criteria.

 

The events in the context of the EMD last for at least two days and attract huge interest by all EU member-states on all levels, state-level, international and regional organisations, the academia and research communities, companies and actors that operate in the maritime sector and blue economy.

 

Moreover, the hosting of the 2026 EMD coincides with the assumption of the Presidency of the European Council by the Republic of Cyprus in the first half of 2026, which creates the conditions for hosting the informal EU Council for Ministers responsible for maritime affairs and a possible updating of the Limassol for an EU Integrated Maritime Policy, which was adopted in 2012, the Deputy Ministry added.

 

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Cyprus Civil Defence is organising a training and exercise assessment mission course of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, to take place November 5-11.

 

The course takes place in cooperation with the Civil Protection Organisations of Germany, the Organisation of Civil Protection of Austria, the Austrian Red Cross and with the support of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

 

A press release by the Civil Defence says that around 20 experts from different countries will take part in the exercise, with the aim of transferring know-how and experience in matters of needs assessment and response to missions of the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

 

The scenario provides for the prevention and preparation for emergency management and the experts will visit all districts on the island and will meet with local authorities and organizations with the aim to exchange information and update their response methods.

 

The AMC training programme has been conducted since 2006 and is considered one of the leading programs of the Mechanism due to the high level of training and degree of difficulty, the press release says.

 

Since the start of the programme in 2006, more than 1,300 people have been trained in Cyprus from the 34 countries as well as from international organisations such as the United Nations and the Red Cross.

 

Source: Cyprus News Agency