The main axes of the "THALIA 2021-2027" were presented by the European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, and the Minister of Finance, Konstantinos Petridis, at a special event held on Friday at the premises of ThOC.
The signing of the cooperation agreement between the Cypriot government and the European Commission for the programme marks Cyprus' commitment to common European priorities in the field of cohesion, Ferreira said. "Our strength depends on unity and unity depends on internal cohesion," she added, adding that no region of Europe can be exempt from this principle.
The Portuguese Commissioner said she was impressed by the commitment and enthusiasm of the Cypriot partners, adding that Cyprus is the first country in Europe to adopt the entire Cohesion Programme.
Ferreira also thanked the President of the Republic, the Ministry of Finance and the Directorate General for Development for their contribution and their cooperation "in preparing such a high quality cooperation agreement, which lays the foundations for supporting European investment in Cyprus, which has been and remains crucial in addressing issues such as the response to the coronavirus pandemic, the reconstruction of the economy and the response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine".
"European investment is key to shaping the Cyprus of tomorrow" the Commissioner said, adding that in cooperation with Cypriot partners they had chosen three main themes.
The first concerns promoting future-oriented investments and creating the economy of tomorrow by increasing the contribution of research and innovation, which in 2020 amounted to 0.8% of GDP (compared to 2.3% of the European average), while the further digitalisation of the economy is moving in the same direction, with Cyprus ranking 21st among the 27 EU countries in the Digital Economy and Society Index.
The second theme concerns green growth, which is a key priority due to both its geographical location and its characteristics, which entail disadvantages in terms of the functioning of the economy, the import of fossil fuels and the per capita emission of pollutants.
"One of the lessons from the Ukrainian crisis is that Europe has to take care of its energy security, we cannot depend on imported fuels," Ferreira said, adding that Cyprus must use the sun and the sea to produce affordable, green energy, while the completion of the Israel-Cyprus-Greece electricity interconnection is also moving in this direction.
"Energy[/B] can also act as a catalyst for peace and cooperation and prosperity between the two communities in Cyprus and in the Eastern Mediterranean," he stressed, adding that new measures are needed to prevent flooding and coastal erosion, as well as to address the effects of climate change.
The third theme, Ferreira continued, concerns working together for a fairer Cyprus by supporting labour market reforms and youth skills development, while she also mentioned initiatives to improve the quality of life in cooperation with local authorities.
Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides, for his part, expressed the Government's full satisfaction that Cyprus is the first country in the EU to sign a partnership agreement with the European Commission, which includes all the programmes of the programming period.
The contribution of the Cohesion Policy Funds to the programme is €968 million and the national contribution a further €842 million, a total of €1.81 million. which will be channelled into the strategic programming that will make Cyprus ready for the new era of challenges we face.
"The preparation of the programme was the result of a consultation between state actors, between the private sector based on the EU policy for smart entrepreneurship, for green growth, for digitalisation and for social cohesion", the Minister continued. Petridis said that 45% of the programme will be channelled to green growth projects, 18% to research and innovation, digitisation and actions that will increase the efficiency and competitiveness of the economy, while the third and largest pillar is that of social cohesion, praising the holistic nature of the programme as a whole.
The aim is a smarter economy with research and innovation, entrepreneurship and digitalisation as key sectors, with an equal distribution of resources, while he also referred to investments in clean energy, circular economy and climate change adaptation, in the light of developments in Ukraine and given the specific characteristics of Cyprus.
Mr. Petridis also referred to the plan to create a Green Technical School to prepare the professions of the future, as well as the upgrading of road networks with projects that have already been announced and others that are part of future plans, while
In the field of employment, the Minister of Finance highlighted the activation of women in the labour market with the creation of a framework and infrastructure for childcare, as well as the provision of incentives for the integration into the labour market of EEO beneficiaries, persons with disabilities, chronically disabled persons, and persons with disabilities. Ferreira said that the Commission has prepared a proposal to the European Parliament and the European Council regarding the provision of support to refugees and migrants of non-Ukrainian origin and the use of resources in the emergency logic for their conditional integration.
Asked how the control of programme expenditure will be ensured, the Finance Minister said that there is a very strict framework of expenditure control and continuous reports from the European Court of Auditors, pointing out that Cyprus in previous years has had a very high level of control over its expenditure. CNA
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