Day: December 1, 2022

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz conveyed to President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades Germany’s solidarity with Cyprus as regards the problem of immigration and expressed his country’s intention to receive 500 asylum seekers from Cyprus.

During their recent meeting in Berlin, the President of the Republic informed the German Chancellor about the immigration problem in Cyprus, asking for the EU’s assistance.

According to sources, during the meeting with the Chancellor, President Anastasiades handed over a document with data demonstrating Cyprus’ position and proving that Turkey is instrumentalizing the issue of immigration.

The same sources said that the German Chancellor described immigration as a European problem and offered immediate German solidarity, by accepting 500 asylum seekers from Cyprus.

Both President Anastasiades and the Chancellor, according to the sources, condemned the instrumentalization of the refugee issue by Turkey. It is recalled that the German Chancellor had asked Turkey – during the joint press conference with President Anastasiades – to abide by the agreement with the EU, for which, as he said, there is no better alternative.

During the meeting, President Anastasiades stressed the need for the EU to take effective measures in order to prevent the instrumentalization of immigration, both by Turkey and by any third country that exploits human suffering in an attempt to gain political benefit.

The increased immigration flows have made the Republic of Cyprus, by far, the first EU member state in terms of the number of political asylum applications in proportion to the population. In the first ten months of 2022 the applications have exceeded 18,000.

The immigration issue is one of the priorities of the government, government sources have said, noting that all measures taken are aimed at halting the increased flows of immigrants.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Chairman of the US Foreign Relations Committee, Robert Menendez said that the challenge with Cyprus is that there has been an invasion and occupation that has lasted over four decades and that continues to be a challenge.

Speaking during the hearing at the Foreign Relations committee of the nomination of Julie Fisher for US Ambassador to Cyprus on Wednesday, Menendez expressed frustration that the US administration does not call on the side which is to blame for not moving forward for a resolution to the problem when it is clear who is to be blamed.

On her part, Fisher said timing is absolutely critical in these issues and from her experience, “we have no time to waste.”

Addressing Fisher, Menendez said “clearly one of the challenges with Cyprus is that there has been an invasion and occupation that has lasted over four decades and that continues to be a challenge as we seek reunification of the island under one nation, bizonal, bicommunal federation.”

In our efforts to move towards that direction, he noted, “I believe President Nicos Anastasiades has actually leaned more forward than any other Cypriot President as it relates to making, I would not say concessions but trying to find a way forward to do so.”

One of the things that frustrates me about the State Department, he underlined “is a call on all sides but when one side is the aggressor, as in my view Azerbaijan is with Armenia, or as in the case of Cyprus, when one side is making concessions and the other is not, is a little frustrating to be called on all sides when in fact there is clarity, clarity should be ultimately called out.”

Asking Fisher how she sees her role in pushing back Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seeking aggressively to take over Varosha, which is a violation of UNSC resolutions, Fisher acknowledged Menendez’s experience on the question of Cyprus, noting that she appears before the committee with tremendous amount of humility.

She also referred to many capable diplomats that have been in work on this case (Cyprus) over decades, noting that she does not underestimate how difficult the challenges are in Cyprus.

“I do think it is a place where there is tremendous opportunity if we can focus our energies on those on the island, those who are paying the highest price for the divisions currently and those who benefit most from that comprehensive settlement, should it be reached.”

She said what she hopes to “bring to this, is the ability to create space and to bring a sense of urgency to this process. The key part of these talks is that they are Cypriot led and UN facilitated and first and foremost that is where I would look to find the way forward”, she added.

Fisher said, “I think timing is absolutely critical in these issues and my experience is that we have no time to waste.”

Menendez said he appreciates her view as “a sense of urgency is important because this conflict has lasted way too long.”

He also agreed that “if Turkish and Greek Cypriots were allowed to engage with each other, there would be a solution.”

However, he said “the problem is that Ankara puts their thumb on the scale and doesn’t allow Turkish Cypriots to find their own way which ultimately means they decide at the end of the day.”

Regarding the East Med, Menendez said he is a strong supporter of the the cooperation between Cyprus, Greece and Israel, adding that “we are looking forward to the first meeting of the 3+1 interparliamentary group to discuss energy cooperation with our allies and partners in the region.”

Menendez said he has been disappointed that there has not been more support for the format from the administration, without holding Fisher responsible for that.

“Just saying that I hope that the next ambassador to Cyprus is an advocate within the interagency process to say we have a tremendous opportunity here”, he remarked.

Menendez also said he gives “credit to the Cypriots that they stopped the Russian ships from ports of call before the invasion which is incredibly important.”

Asked what opportunities she sees for the US to work with Cyprus and our partners in the Eastern Mediterranean, to bolster European energy security, to create a bigger ally as it relates to other energy securities, Fisher replied that when these kinds of formats work and there are meaningful discussions in them, “truly we have the opportunity to expand those agendas significantly”.

Noting that Menendez has cited the energy issues in the Eastern Mediterranean security “as central questions for the 3+1, my experience is that when we find a format where there is so much to share and so much to learn amongst a group of likeminded partners, that truly we can expand this in a multitude of directions”, adding that these kinds of formats are incredibly meaningful to building bilateral relationships.

“You can count on my support for these”, she said, and called for a continued cooperation with Menendez and his team.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Romania wants to give a new impetus to bilateral relations and develop a high-level institutional dialogue with Cyprus, said Dan Mihalache, Ambassador of Romania to Cyprus, on the occasion of the National Day of Romania celebrated annually on December 1.

Speaking during an interview to CNA, the Romanian Ambassador said that administrative and consular support to the Romanian community in Cyprus has been a very important component of the embassy’s work, with the latest figures suggesting there are around 46,000 Romanians currently registered in Cyprus, without considering seasonal workers, especially during the summer, and people working in the occupied areas of Cyprus.

“Although this number might appear small compared to other diaspora communities abroad, they constitute 5% of the Cypriot population and are the third biggest ethnic group on the island”, he added.

The Romanian community in Cyprus is a settled and well-integrated one, continued Mihalache, thanks also to the support of the Republic and the Greek Orthodox Church, and it consists of people that came mainly during the 1990s. Another group came before the 1989 revolution, especially through marriages with Cypriots that studied in Romania, but the majority are economic diaspora members that came in the 1990s and 2000s, attracted by better opportunities, he added.

“In time the conditions have changed since the level of income and the cost of living in the two countries are now similar, meaning that the migration trend has almost stopped, except for seasonal workers, mainly in the HORECA industry”, he said, adding that despite the fact that after the economic crisis and the pandemic around 10,000 people returned to Romania, Cyprus remains an attractive place in to live in.

In relation to the Romanian community’s efforts to maintain ties with the country, the Romanian diplomat said that the younger generation is facing a similar challenge with the Cypriot diaspora members, namely they need help in preserving their national identity as they can have difficulties speaking their mother tongue or establishing personal links with their country of origin.

The existence of Romanian schools all over Cyprus is very helpful in this regard, he stressed, adding that at the moment there are nine Saturday schools for children between 5 and 14 years old run by the Alliance of Romanians in Cyprus, partially founded by the Romanian state and aided by the public institutions of Cyprus.

As regards bilateral relations between Romania and Cyprus, Mihalache said that they have been traditionally good since the founding of the Republic in 1960, but Romania wants to give them a new impetus.

During the 2000s Romania was very focused on its accession to NATO and the EU and bilateral relations with Cyprus were seen through these objectives, he explained, adding that there are now many new cooperation areas, such as IT, where both countries can help each other, and education, in relation to which he said that from the beginning of 2023 there will be a Romanian Language and Civilisation Chair in the Cyprus University of Technology that could be used as a vehicle for enhancing cooperation between various Romanian and Cypriot universities.

The Romanian ambassador also said that there are currently growing economic exchanges between Romania and Cyprus, with a recorded growth of 50% between 2020 and 2021 and 35% during the first six months of 2022, adding that there is room for further cooperation in the areas of education and culture.

There are also policy points the two countries share at the European level, he noted, adding that as very difficult times are approaching bilateral dialogue between Romania and Cyprus as partners within a very dynamic and changing EU can be an asset for both countries.

“There will be a lot of challenges in the future for the EU in terms of internal organization, policies, external relations of the Union and I believe we can find common positions and share our voices in the EU”, he stressed.

Mihalache also said that the Romanian side plans to develop an institutional high-level dialogue with Cyprus during the next year, adding that there is time for a high-level visit of the Romanian President to Cyprus next year and a high-level meeting between the Ministers of Foreign Affairs to set up these common positions and design a future cooperation plan.

On the Cyprus issue, Romania has supported the position of the United Nations based on international law and the legitimate demand of the Republic of Cyprus that international law must be respected, said the Romanian diplomat, adding that the conflict in Ukraine highlights the necessity to stick to the principles of international law. “In this respect, Cyprus will have our support in the international institutions and within the EU”, he underlined.

As regards Ukraine, he said that although Romania is not very dependent on Russian gas, it remains at the frontline of the western, democratic value-oriented world and feels the pressure of Russian aggression as it has a long eastern border with Ukraine and the Black Sea being a very critical geopolitical area.

Romania received a large number of Ukrainian refugees, but not all of them stayed in the country, he continued, adding that at the moment Romania is capable of sustaining economically this migration wave, but as the situation worsens there could be fluxes that can exceed the country’s and even Europe’s humanitarian response capacity as millions of people are moving within and out of Ukraine.

In terms of NATO, the alliance’s foreign ministers finished a two-day meeting in Bucharest on Wednesday, one of the most important events for Romania this year according to Mihalache, which gives a clear signal to Russia that the alliance’s eastern flank is important and will be defended, but also that the Black Sea is an important area not only for the regional security, but also for the entire continent.

Regarding the latest developments concerning Romania’s access to the Schengen area, the Romanian ambassador said that we are still waiting for the EU Council decision on 8 December since in technical terms the European Commission has recommended Romania’s participation to the Schengen area, but there is still opposition by some member states, mainly Austria and the Netherlands.

“What we learned in this debate about Schengen in the last months, and should be kept in mind by all member states, is that we are not dealing with objective criteria, but various state interests and internal political debates, something not very fair in terms of European solidarity. If we want to build a stronger Europe, solidarity and criteria must be effective”, he stressed.

Finally, asked, in view of the National Day of Romania, about the main challenges and the main aspirations of the country, Mihalache said that in the last thirty years Romania has undergone a rapid process of change following its aspiration to be a modern European country.

He added that the partnership with the United States and its NATO membership provides Romania with the security element it historically needed in this very complicated geopolitical area, with the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in the proximity of Romania showing how important it is for Romania to be a strategic partner for the US and NATO.

“EU membership provides instruments for achieving economic and modernization goals, but we still have to work on reducing the gaps in infrastructure, economic development and quality of life”, he continued, adding that Romania will also have to project its role within the EU, but also as partner in traditional areas where it used to play a political role, such as the Middle East and North Africa, with Cyprus being an important element in this area.

“Romanians want to be proud of being Romanians in Europe and the world, as partners and a strong country is a very complex world”, he concluded.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

A Cypriot concert entitled “Zypriotisches Galakonzert” was recently performed for the sixth year at renowned Musikverein concert hall, in Vienna.

The concert was organised by the Cypriot Cultural Centre in Vienna, with the support of the Ministry of Education, Sport and Youth and the Cultural Services of the Deputy Ministry of Culture, according to a press release by the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra Foundation.

It is noted that the “Zypriotisches Galakonzert” has been established in the musical life of Vienna, after being initiated by Cypriot Baritone, Kyros Patsalides.

For the sixth year, at the Brahms Saal of the famous Musikverein, Vienna, two Cypriot youth music ensembles met on stage with renowned soloists: the ensemble of the Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra and the choir of the Nicosia Music School, the press release says.

It is added that during the general rehearsal, attended by First Lady, Andri Anastasiades, Minister of Education, Sport and Youth Prodromos Prodromou and Vice President of the Cyprus Symphony Orchestra Foundation, Athena Xenidou, the young musicians announced their unanimous decision to name Kyros Patsalides as Honorary Soloist of the Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra. This is the first time that such an honour is awarded in the orchestra’s 35-year history.

The following soloists participated at the concert: Kyros Patsalides (baritone), Carlos Osuna (tenor), Eleni Voudouraki (mezzo – soprano), Julie Karagouni (soprano), Katerina Kouri (soprano coloratura), Constantina Nikolaou (soprano), Yiorgo Ioannou (baritone), Alisa Feizullova (solo Flute), the Choir of the Nicosia Music School (conductor: Angelina Nicolaidou), and the ensemble of the Cyprus Youth Symphony Orchestra under the baton of maestro Yiorgos Kountouris and assistant conductor Kyriaki Kountouri.

It is noted that the concert aims to enhance the promotion of Cypriot Culture abroad.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

MUNICH: Asante Capital Group (“Asante”), a leading independent private equity placement and advisory group, today announced the opening of its Munich office as part of the firm’s strategic initiatives to connect European GPs with allocators worldwide. George Lyons will serve as Director of the Munich office.

Over the past 12 years, Asante has become a leader at connecting GPs with LPs worldwide. Established across three continents, with 65 professionals, the firm is expanding its presence to continental Europe with this new office. Having deep-rooted networks across the continent, this will further enhance Asante’s direct, on the ground access to investors throughout the region, enabling greater support to their GP clients with unique, tailored relationships. The BaFin license will ensure the office remains compliant with European Union regulations.

“Our Munich office will enable us to build on Asante’s proven history of successful fundraises in Europe, working seamlessly with our existing London team to provide clients with the most effective solutions for European, North American and Asian-based GPs,” said George Lyons. Asante will look to further enhance their capabilities by actively hiring individuals in the Munich office with deep, first-hand knowledge of the German and wider European markets. George’s experience includes nearly a decade of primary fundraising and placements across EMEA.

“George is an experienced fundraiser with a very strong global network, particularly in the European space. With the opening of this new beachhead in Europe, we are excited to grow and better support our client base of GPs around the world,” said Warren Hibbert, co-founder and Managing Partner at Asante. “With GPs facing a tougher fundraising environment than ever before amid fundraising compression and market uncertainty, ensuring we’re able to continue generating successful outcomes by remaining very close to our stakeholders is vital.”

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Cyprus has been assessed as a model country by the EU in the issue of returning irregular migrants, Interior Minister Nicos Nouris said, and that is why, he added, it is hosting the second meeting of the European Commission’s High-Level Network on Returns, which takes place on Thursday and Friday in Nicosia.

In statements on the sidelines of the meeting, the Minister said that the European Commission has decided to set up this Mechanism, called Network on Return. “Cyprus was assessed, among the 27 member countries, as the model country in the issue of returns. The results we have recorded this year gave us the opportunity to host in Cyprus this very important meeting of the Network on Return,” he said, noting that in 2022 7,000 returns have taken place, an outcome which ranks Cyprus first among European countries.

The Minister went on to say that this is “a great honour for a country that is facing a huge problem in terms of migration.”

He expressed the certainty that the meeting’s outcomes will show the importance of policies followed by Cyprus and that these practices will also be followed in other EU countries.

During his welcoming speech, he said that he believes that the Network will greatly contribute to coordinating the effort, between the Member States and the relevant EU agencies, for effective, sustainable and safe returns of third-country nationals to their countries of origin, which is a priority for the entire Union.

“Unfortunately, in Cyprus, we struggle daily with these numbers, and the management of the ever-increasing arrivals of irregular migrants is extremely difficult,” he said, adding that from January to October 2022, asylum applications have risen to 18,345, which brings the overall number of asylum seekers and beneficiaries of protection status to over 6% of the population of the Republic of Cyprus.

Regarding the Green line, he underlined that it is not an external border, however it makes Cyprus a particular case among Member States. “Despite the efforts and measures that have been taken, it continues to be our Achilles’ heel, but also the tool used for the instrumentalisation of migrants on the part of Turkey, with a daily flow from the occupied to the areas controlled by the Republic,” he noted. This, he added, “is clearly established, as 95% of irregular migrants cross the green line constantly and illegally.” These figures, Nouris said, “confirm the position on the instrumentalisation of migration by Turkey, and Cyprus’ insistence on the need to stem the migrant flows with deterrent means on the ground.

Nouris also referred to the need to “relieve the country from the excessively increased flows”, with a continuous effort to increase returns by own means, but at the same time via reaching agreements with both Member States and third countries, with an emphasis on the voluntary return programme with financial incentives.

He said that with a number of third countries “we seem to have succeeded in overcoming bureaucratic procedures and we have managed to return a significant number of migrants.” To that extent he referred to agreements reached with India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Vietnam, and a pending agreement with Congo.

“In 2022, we created the Returns Office, an innovative initiative of the Interior Ministry, which coordinates the competent services of the state” and the European agencies Frontex and Europol, which is the point of contact on return issues both with the EU itself, but also with third countries, Nouris said.

As a result of this coordinated action, Cyprus is currently in first place in return numbers among the Member States, in proportion of population. “In 2022 we have returned almost 7,000 persons, accounting to 40% of arrivals, as opposed to 17% last year. A rate which clearly satisfies us”, he noted, adding that a sharp increase in assisted voluntary returns was also achieved, compared to forced returns, with their rate for this year reaching 87%. He expressed the conviction that Cyprus’ participation in the European Commission’s Returns Network will further contribute to these efforts.

“It is for this reason that we insist on our position for the need to manage returns and readmissions in a centralized manner, under the operational coordination of the Commission itself. It is our belief that this Network is the first important step in this direction,” he concluded.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Minister for Education, Sports and Youth, Prodromos Prodromou, informed his counterparts on measures taken by Cyprus to support the reception and integration of Ukrainian students in the Cypriot education system during the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport Council of the European Union, which took place on 28 and 29 November in Brussels.

According to a statement issued on Wednesday, the first day of the meeting was devoted to education, focusing in particular on the role of the European Education Area in mitigating crises in education and training, especially regarding the education of Ukrainian students. The Ukrainian Minister of Education participated in the exchange of views on this issue via teleconference.

During his intervention, Prodromou referred to the coordination that has been achieved through the governance of the European Education Area and to the concrete measures taken at a national level in relation to the education of Ukrainian students. He also referred to the arrangements made by Cyprus to facilitate the reception and integration of Ukrainian students, as well as to the ongoing process for reaching a special agreement on mutual recognition of educational qualifications and diplomas with Ukraine.

Regarding the role of the European Education Area in times of crisis, the Minister of Education highlighted the need for resilient and inclusive education systems that are able to deal effectively with the consequences of crises.

Prodromou also briefed his counterparts on the results of the HighLevel Meeting of Education Ministers on Education for Sustainable Development, which took place in the framework of the 9th Ministerial Conference held in October in Nicosia.

During a working lunch, the Ministers exchanged views on support to the Ukrainian education system and the role the EU can play through various instruments and investment mechanisms and through the provision of expertise by Member States.

During the afternoon session, the ministers discussed the developments regarding the ongoing European Year of Youth 2022, and reported on initiatives undertaken in their country, with a particular focus on actions that highlighted the youth perspective in policy initiatives.

Prodromou referred to actions and events implemented in Cyprus, such as the Forum for Democracy and the National Youth Summit.

He also underlined the importance of strengthening the participation of young people through creative activities and noted that the European Year of Youth contributed to strengthening the active involvement of young people and youth organisations in shaping national and European strategies on issues that concern them. He stressed that this momentum should be maintained, as should the multimodal and multilevel participation of young people in the community, which strengthens their voice and enhances their role in social and political life.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The next government as well as the political system should put in place a long-term, decade-long macroeconomic plan that will transform Cyprus into a triple A country, said Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides, addressing the Annual General Meeting of Invest Cyprus, the state organisation for the promotion of investment in the country.

Petrides referred to the importance of a consistent program for the reduction of the public debt, saying that it’s very important to have the trust of the markets and the investors in this new era for global economy.

Furthermore, the Minister said that Cyprus economy in this new era is upgraded, with 11 consecutive upgrades, with one of the highest growth rates in the EU, with unemployment being at historic lows, with real, sustainable investments and with public debt at a sustainable level that continues to have a downward trend.

He added that Cyprus has for the first time a real development model, “Vision 2035”, which is a realistic, detailed, well thought out plan.

He also noted that in this new era, public finances will begin to be much more important than in the previous decade, not only because of the absence of cheap money, but also because of market reactions. Cyprus, he noted, is the only country that got an upgrade in the last year because it reduced the public debt.

He also noted that in this new era, public finances will begin to be much more important than in the previous decade, not only because of the absence of cheap money, but also because of market reactions. Cyprus, he noted, is the only country that got an upgrade in the last year because it reduced the public debt.

Referring to the decade of the current Government, the Minister noted that when the crisis began at the beginning of the decade, the economy of Cyprus was an experiment even for the EU and was considered very likely in the circles of the EU, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund that Cyprus might not be able to stand as a member of the EU or the Eurozone.

He added that during these 10 years, the economy of Cyprus changed, diversified its model, entered a sustainable path and achieved unexpected growth rates.

Referring to the role of Invest Cyprus he stressed that it is now an organization with very good management, expertise, more resources and is called to play the difficult role of attracting investments in the new era.

Chairman of the Invest Cyprus Board of Directors Evgenios Evgeniou said that in this particularly demanding international environment, Cyprus managed to attract significant investments in all three priority sectors of Invest Cyprus.

He also spoke about the importance of the recent decision by the ANIMA Investment Network to create the Euromed Tech Hub in Cyprus, an organization jointly owned by Invest Cyprus and ANIMA, where all efforts will be focused on promoting technology and innovation solutions that will serve the social and ecological transition of the Mediterranean countries.

He noted that according to the Greenfield FDI Performance Index, in 2021 Cyprus made a jump of 50 places, ranking 18th internationally. He added that Cyprus is among the top 10 countries as regards post-pandemic investment recovery with a 150% increase in the first half of 2022 compared to the corresponding period of 2019.

Evgeniou said that according to FDI Intelligence there is a significant 600% increase in investments in the technology sector in the first half of 2022 compared to 2019.

Concluding, he said that in 2021, the contribution of the ICT sector to the economy was 1.9 billion euro, while for 2022 it is estimated that it will reach 3 billion euro.

Meanwhile, in his speech, Invest Cyprus CEO George Campanellas noted that compared to 2020, the number of foreign technology companies increased by 49%, the number of employees by 78%, while the direct and indirect economic impact is 3 billion euro.

Regarding investment funds, he said that there was a 23% increase in funds under management and a 17% increase in the number of companies.

He also said that there are currently six international film productions underway, of a total of 22 million euro.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

?he GDP growth rate in real terms during the third quarter of 2022 is positive and is estimated at 5.5% over the corresponding quarter of 2021, the Cyprus Statistical Service said on Thursday.

Based on seasonally and working day adjusted data, GDP growth rate in real terms is estimated at 5.4%.

According to CyStat the positive GDP growth rate is mainly attributed to the sectors “Hotels and Restaurants”, ” Transport and Storage”, “Information and Communication”, “Wholesale and Retail Trade, Repair of Motor Vehicles”, “Arts, Entertainment and Recreation” and “Other Service Activities”.

The GDP growth rate for the first and second quarters of 2022 has been registered at 6.7% and 5.9% respectively.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

More than 80% of businesses with ten or more employees provided mobile devices with access to the internet and business email in 2022, according to the results the survey on information and communication technologies (ict) usage and e-commerce in enterprises 2022, published by the Statistical Service of Cyprus on Thursday.

The survey looked at the possibility of remote access for employees in businesses, internet connection speeds, e-commerce and percentages of specialized ICT staff in enterprises.

During 2022, 85.9% of enterprises with 10 or more persons employed, provided portable devices that allow a mobile connection to the internet using mobile telephone networks, for business purposes. The survey also shows that 81.4% of all enterprises provide remote access to their e-mail system, 68.7% to the enterprise’s documents, including spreadsheets, presentations, or any other files and 64.8% provide remote access to enterprise’s business applications or software used by the enterprise. Also, 59% of all enterprises have conducted remote meetings via the internet (e.g., Skype, Zoom, MS teams, WebEx etc.).

Internet connection Speed

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The demand for high-speed internet connections (100 Mbit/s or more) has increased significantly over the years, according to the survey. In 2022, six out of ten enterprises (61.2%) have internet connection speeds higher than 100 Mbit/s compared to 10.2% in 2018.

According to the data, the most popular contracted download speed among enterprises in Cyprus was at least 100 Mbit/s but less than 500 Mbit/s (39.2% of all enterprises). The second most popular download speed was at least 30 Mbit/s but less than 100 Mbit/s (22.7%), followed by the enterprises with download speeds of at least 500 Mbit/s but less than 1 Gbit/s and by the enterprises of more than 1 Gbit/s, with 11%. The least favourite download speed was the less than 30 Mbit/s with 8%.

E-Commerce Sales

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During 2021, one out of five enterprises (22%) received orders for goods and services via computer networks, while 21.2% received orders for goods and services via websites or “apps” and 3.3% via EDI – type messages.

Also, 17.8% of all enterprises received orders for goods and services via the enterprise’s own websites or “apps”, while 11.9% received orders via e-commerce marketplace websites or “apps” used by several enterprises for trading products. 19.6% of enterprises received orders via websites or “apps” from private customers compared to 12.7% of enterprises which received orders from other businesses and/or from the general government.

Moreover, 19.9% of enterprises received orders via websites or “apps” from customers located in Cyprus, 9.6% from customers from other EU countries and 8.2% from customers from the rest of the world.

ICT specialists and skills

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One out of four enterprises (24.5%) employ ICT specialists. In large enterprises that percentage reaches 73.3% compared to 20.1% in small enterprises.

The percentage of enterprises that provided any type of training during 2021, to develop ICT related skills to either ICT specialists or other persons employed, remains low at 13.9% and 25.6% respectively. In large enterprises the corresponding percentages are 51.1% for ICT specialists and 65.7% for other persons employed.

Finally, 10.5% of enterprises with 10 or more persons employed, recruited or tried to recruit ICT specialists in 2021, with 5.7% of them facing difficulties to fill the ICT specialist’s vacancies during 2021.

Source: Cyprus News Agency