Author: cnadmin

The close cooperation and coordination between their Ministries was stressed on Wednesday by Justice and Public Order Minister Stephie Dracos and her Greek counterpart Kostas Tsiaras at a meeting in Nicosia.

In statements at the Ministry of Justice, the two ministers said they would discuss, among other things, the reform of the justice system in Cyprus, digital justice issues and developments concerning national and European issues.

“I am sure that we will have a fruitful cooperation, we have always had and maintain, as I mentioned, close contacts with the Ministry of Justice, but we exchange views on issues of common interest and I am really looking forward to the meeting that will follow to look at all these issues and to share experiences and knowledge on issues that are going on right now, both nationally and in Europe,” Dracos said.

From his part, Tsiaras said that during the meeting they would discuss developments concerning the judicial systems of the two countries. Speaking about Greece, he said that they would discuss “how far we have progressed towards the era of digital justice, to what extent we can introduce alternative ways of resolving disputes” and “how we can find common cooperation goals towards issues, which as a matter of fact create concerns in all judicial systems in Europe, making coordination necessary in order to address them.”

He also said that the fact that he and Minister Dracos share “the same anxieties in every European meeting and we are indeed trying to coordinate and cooperate for the good of our countries and for the good of Europe in general, I think is proof that Greece and Cyprus are walking together.”

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Turnover Value Index of Wholesale Trade during the first quarter of 2022 recorded an increase of 28.4%, reaching 140.5 units, compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year, according to data published by the Cyprus Statistical Service on Wednesday.

Wholesale of household goods increased by 20.3%, wholesale of other machinery, equipment and supplies by 15.3%, wholesale of food, beverages and tobacco by 13.2% over the same period. In addition, other specialized wholesale trade increased by 58.2%, while non-specialized wholesale trade by 17.7%.

According to the data, for the same quarter, the Turnover Value Index of Sales and Repair of Motor Vehicles recorded an increase of 19.9%, reaching 140.2 units, compared to the corresponding quarter of the previous year.

The sale of motor vehicles increased by 23.1%, the maintenance and repair of motor vehicles by 17.7% and the sale of motor vehicle parts and accessories by 16.7%. On the other hand, the sale, maintenance and repair of motorcycles and related parts and accessories decreased by 17.6%.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Electronic justice and the extradition procedure for wanted persons were the main subject of Wednesday’s meeting between the Deputy Attorney General of the Republic, Savvas Angelides, and the Minister of Justice of the Hellenic Republic, Konstantinos Tsiaras, in which the Attorney General of the Republic, George Savvides, participated online, according to an announcement by the Law Office.

As stated, in relation to the issue of e-Justice the heads of the Law Office and the Greek Minister had a mutual briefing on the digital practices applied in the justice system in Cyprus and Greece, with the Attorney General informing on the actions taken so far at national level, while particular reference was made of the implementation of the i-Justice programme in the Cypriot Courts, as an interim solution to address the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic on the smooth functioning of the Courts, pending the implementation of the integrated e-Justice system, which is part of the Action Plan for the reform of the Courts.

In this context, it is added that Savvides also briefed on the set of reforms being promoted in the justice sector with the primary objective of addressing the long delays in the adjudication of cases, as well as the ongoing effort within the Law Office for its reorganization and modernization.

For his part, Tsiaras explained, according to the announcement, the structure of the Greek judicial system, emphasizing the changes adopted for the digitalization of the Greek justice system, saying that this is a reform cycle that was initiated to solve pathologies in the Greek judicial system, in particular, the delay in the adjudication of cases.

On the second issue, Angelides and Tsiaras exchanged views on the execution of European arrest warrants and extradition procedures of wanted persons at national level and discussed technical legal problems arising from their experiences and ways to solve them, the announcement concluded.

It is also noted that the Greek Minister was accompanied at the meeting by the Greek Ambassador to Cyprus, Ioannis Papameletiou, and a delegation of officials of the Greek Ministry of Justice. Afterwards, the Deputy Attorney General hosted a lunch in honour of the Minister and the Greek delegation.

It is reminded that Konstantinos Tsiaras is visiting Cyprus at the invitation of the Minister of Justice and Public Order.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Commission welcomes that Member States have agreed today to start implementing a voluntary solidarity mechanism by offering relocations, financial contributions and other measures of support to Member States in need. This is a significant step forward for the European Commission’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum, particularly on the need to provide solidarity balanced with responsibility. In this respect the Member States agreed to start negotiations with the European Parliament on two key migration management tools: the revised Eurodac database and the screening regulation. This follows the political agreement reached on this first stage of the Pact proposals at the last Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting of 10 June.

This progress is the result of the intense work by the French Presidency, as well as the previous Presidencies, notably Portugal, Germany and Slovenia and is will be taken forward by the incoming Czech Presidency. The Commission stands ready to continue supporting the European Parliament and the Council on this crucial work.

Vice-President for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas, said: “This agreement is a further, unequivocal demonstration of the fact that when Europe is tested, unity prevails. We are putting in place a solidarity mechanism that is voluntary, simple and predictable and that will help immediately alleviate some of the pressure on the Member States that by geography receive the majority of arrivals to the EU. At the same time, the new rules on border and migration management will ensure we have efficient, secure and seamless procedures in place at every border to quickly channel people to the right procedures. I look forward to working now with the European Parliament so we can get these proposals in the statute book and start making a difference to the situation on the ground.“

Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, said: “The agreement reached today on migration shows that with pragmatism, leadership and trust Europe can deliver on migration. I thank the French Presidency for its tireless efforts and count now on the Czech Presidency and the European Parliament to continue making significant progress towards finalising the New Pact on Migration and Asylum.“

The Eurodac Regulation aims to modernise the database of asylum seekers and irregular migrants in order to better manage applications and fight against irregular movements. Moreover, the Eurodac database will be better able to monitor movements of people who entered and are illegally staying in the EU and moved from one Member State to another, and indicate the shift of responsibility between Member States, including in cases of relocation.

The Screening Regulation puts in place a pre-entry screening that should be applicable to all non-EU country nationals who are present at the external border without fulfilling the entry conditions, including after disembarkation, following a search and rescue operation. Its objective is to contribute to the new comprehensive approach to migration ensuring that identity, health or security risks are quickly carried out and that all non-EU-country nationals subject to screening are swiftly referred towards the applicable procedure.

The solidarity Declaration is a first step in the gradual implementation of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, as proposed by the French Presidency. It provides a voluntary, simple and predictable solidarity mechanism designed to support the Member States most affected in the Mediterranean as well as other Member States under pressure, including on the Western Atlantic route, by offering relocations, financial contributions and other measures of support. The implementation of this mechanism will provide useful lessons for the permanent mechanism on solidarity to be introduced by the Asylum and Migration Management Regulation, as proposed by the European Commission in 2020.

Next steps

The agreement reached today on the Solidarity Declaration will be taken forward by the Solidarity Platform on 27 June with a view to implementing it swiftly and effectively. The Platform will provide a fora for discussion and coordination of transfers and other solidarity measures between Member States under the chairmanship of the European Commission.

The European Parliament and the current and upcoming Presidencies, together with the European Commission, will discuss a roadmap to take forward the all the proposals under the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. The roadmap will aim to ensure that an agreement on all proposals is reached by the end of this legislature.

Background

On Friday 10 June, Vice-President Schinas and Commissioner Johansson attended the Home Affairs Council in Luxembourg where Ministers made progress on the New Pact on Migration and Asylum, with a large majority endorsing a Declaration on a voluntary solidarity mechanism, paving the way for agreement on the Eurodac and Screening Regulations.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

President of the House of Representatives Annita Demetriou received on Wednesday Ambassador of the State of Kuwait to Cyprus Waleed Ahmad Al-Kandari, who stressed that his country will continue to support the efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem, based on the relevant UN resolutions.

The Ambassador also said that for Kuwait the invasion of one state against the territory of another constitutes a red line.

According to a press release by the House of Representatives, Demetriou thanked the Ambassador for his important contribution to further deepening the Cyprus-Kuwait relations, his good cooperation with the House of Representatives and the promotion of the dialogue and parliamentary exchanges between the two countries. She said that Cyprus and Kuwait enjoy friendly ties, not only at the level of states, but also of peoples.

The meeting took place on the occasion of the completion of the Ambassador’s term in Cyprus.

Demetriou also expressed her appreciation for the position of the principles and the firm support of Kuwait regarding the Cyprus problem.

The Ambassador said that the two countries had suffered invasion and remain committed to the principles of international law.

He stressed that his country will continue to support the efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem, based on the relevant UN resolutions, emphasizing that for Kuwait the invasion of one state on the territory of another is a red line.

Kandari noted that significant steps had been taken as regards the relations between the two countries, including inter-parliamentary exchanges at various levels, noting that there is room for further development.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) today objected to efforts by the World Health Organization (WHO) to rein in Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) autonomy in declaring regional health emergencies and other emergency public health powers – a move that is paternalistic and runs counter to the principles of self-determination enshrined in the UN system.

According to Devex, the United Nations, which oversees the WHO, is attempting to lobby “on what should be an African Union process, and if successful, it would block reform of Africa CDC and undermine its ability to respond to health crises and prevent pandemics.” This development came after a meeting of roughly 40 Africa health ministers last week where they discussed revisions to the statutes under which Africa CDC operates.

“It’s baffling to see the WHO, which has fumbled the ball on multiple international health emergencies, most notably the COVID-19 pandemic, is now attempting to block Africa CDC’s right to self-determination on matters of public health,” said AHF President Michael Weinstein. “Africa CDC had to prove its resolve after WHO failed the entire continent by its bungling of COVID-19 in Africa, including severe delays in delivering vaccines and allowing significant economic devastation to sweep the region. We wholeheartedly support Africa CDC’s right to determine its own actions on public health and emergencies. Through its mismanagement, WHO has forfeited its chance to be the arbiter of Africa’s health systems.”

Africa CDC and ministries of health must have the regional capacity to declare health emergencies based on technical and evidence-based processes, which WHO itself does not even have the power to do under its International Health Regulations. Continental emergency health declarations could mean the difference between quickly getting an outbreak under control or allowing disease to spread unchecked while waiting on official decisions thousands of miles away in Geneva.

“This attempt at control is a questionable act by the World Health Organization and a contradiction to their past condemnations of the imperialist mentality with which vaccines were being given to COVAX. Yet, this same move seems to have that same mindset,” said AHF Africa Bureau Chief Dr. Penninah Iutung. “We support African solutions for local problems and want African governments to be more accountable and take more ownership of the health of their people. Africa CDC can and should have the power to help them with that.”

The health ministers are due to reconvene again tomorrow to make a final recommendation on the amendments, which would then have to be decided on by the African Union Executive Council. If approved, Africa CDC would be able to focus on outbreaks endemic to Africa – there would be no change to the WHO’s global alert system.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is a global non-profit organization providing cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to over 1.6 million people in 45 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Europe. We are currently the largest non-profit provider of HIV/AIDS medical care in the world. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: http://: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter: @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare

This material is not a CNA editorial material and CNA shall not bear responsibility for the accuracy of its content. In case you have any questions about the content, kindly refer to the contact person mentioned in the text of the press release.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Reducing the use of pesticides will be key in the transition towards more sustainable food systems and a more sustainable agriculture, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides told the Cyprus News Agency, promising at the same time that the Commission’s proposals will come with equally ambitious support for producers.

One of the aims of the Commission’s proposal for a Sustainable Pesticide Use Directive aims is to reduce the use of hazardous pesticides by 50% by 2030, and will be presented on Wednesday along with a package of proposals on protecting biodiversity. The proposal will then be developed in consultation with the member state (Council of the EU) and the European Parliament.

In a written statement ahead of the presentation of the proposal, Commissioner Kyriakides underlined that “sustainability is our insurance for the future” through which “we can guarantee our natural resources, our health, the climate, and the economy”, adding that “this is how we can guarantee our food security”.

“The EU needs to transition towards more sustainable agriculture and more sustainable food systems” Kyriakides added, pointing out that “reducing the use of pesticides is key to do this”.

“We will deliver on the ambitious commitments taken under the EU Farm to Fork Strategy to reduce the use of harmful pesticides” the Commissioner said.

“When doing so, we will also deliver on our promise to leave no one behind, nor consumer or producers. Our ambition will be matched by an equally ambitious level of support” she added.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Cyprus is in favour of further measures and reforms being undertaken, as well as cooperation between states, in order to expand its actions for the achievement of the full and equal enjoyment of the rights of persons with disabilities and the realisation to the fullest extent possible of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Andreas Hadjichrysanthou has said.

He was speaking at the 15th Conference of the State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, at the United Nations, in New York.

“As one of the most vulnerable and marginalized social groups, persons with disabilities continue to be at risk of exclusion, facing barriers to full and effective participation across all sectors of society,” Hadjichrysanthou noted.

The experience of the pandemic, he added, shows us that additional drastic measures and reforms are required in all areas of life of persons with disabilities, especially in areas of assistive technology, work and employment and risk situations.

The Cypriot Permanent Representative said that following the ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2011, the Republic of Cyprus “adopted its National Strategy for Persons with Disabilities and implements three-yearly National Disability Action Plans, defining the vision, values, strategic goals and actions for the fulfilment of the rights of citizens with disabilities, in all areas of their lives”.

He outlined actions that Cyprus implements aiming to improve the quality of life of people with disabilities, including the provision of new social services in the community to support the independent living of persons with an intellectual disability or autism, the adoption of new legislation for the creation of social enterprises and the design of tools and mechanisms to support persons with disabilities to become employees or owners, the expansion of rehabilitation services offered, improving accessibility to beach facilities, archaeological sites and museums, public websites, public transportation and public buildings and drafting new legislation on special education towards a modern education system for all students.

Cyprus, he stressed, “is in favour of further measures and reforms being undertaken, as well as cooperation between States, in order to expand its actions for the achievement of the full and equal enjoyment of the rights of persons with disabilities and the realization to the fullest extent possible of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.”

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Cyprus Department of Forests calls upon the public to be very careful this afternoon, as strong winds of 6 to 7 on the Beaufort scale are expected.

The public is urged to refrain from actions or activities that could cause a fire, warning that in case of fire the firefighting efforts will be extremely difficult.

If one notices smoke or fire they must call 1407 (Department of Forests) or 112 (Fire Department).

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The highest price for Diesel has reached €1.999 in Cyprus, according to the Consumer Protection Service’s Fuel Retail Price Observatory. On average, diesel costs around €1.914, while at the cheapest gas station it can be found at €1.808. Unleaded gasoline 95 octane averages at €1.806. The cheapest unleaded 95 sells for €1.755, while the most expensive is at €1.867.

On the basis of the data there seems to be great disparity between different petrol stations across the island.

Invited to comment on that by CNA President of the Pancyprian Petrol Station Owners Association, Savvas Prokopiou, said this is due to the the fact that companies supply their stations at different times.

Same company gas stations should have similar gas prices, he noted.

Prokopiou also said that the reason behind different prices could be the fact that different petrol stations receive different discounts.

Regarding the possibility of future price hikes, he noted that it would be difficult to make a forecast, as he could not know if and when international oil prices would fluctuate, adding that recent forecasts have not ben accurate.

Internationally, according to Bloomberg, the price of crude WTI is at $111.52 per barrel, Brent at $115.01 per barrel. Natural gas on the Nymex market is $6.73 per million BTU.

Source: Cyprus News Agency