Taking into account the funds of the Recovery Plan and Resilience and the Cohesion Policy Fund, as well as the additional private investments that will result from the implementation of the supported projects, the economic impact of the Plan "Cyprus - Tomorrow" amounts to 4.4 billion euros, President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades said at the "1st Annual Event for the Cyprus Recovery and Resilience Plan" on Friday.
The Cyprus-Tomorrow Plan is being put into practical implementation with the disbursement of 85 million euros, following the achievement of the first 14 milestones of the Recovery and Resilience Plan, the President said.
He said that the National Plan "Cyprus - Tomorrow" is an ambitious yet realistic plan for achieving a sustainable model of long-term development and strengthening the country's potential for economic, social and environmental sustainability. The five policy pillars identified in this framework relate to Public Health and Civil Protection, the rapid transition to the Green Economy, strengthening the resilience and competitiveness of the economy, digital transformation, employment and social protection, as well as education and skills development of human resources.
To implement the above, the Plan includes a package of 133 measures, of which 58 relate to reforms and 75 to investment actions. These constitute the largest reform and development intervention since the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus, Anastasiades underlined, noting that the total economic impact of the Plan amounts to €4.4 billion, while in addition to the projected increase in Gross Domestic Product, an additional 7% will be added and more than 11,000 new, well-paid jobs will be created.
The President said that the disbursement of funds to Cyprus was made possible following the achievement of specific milestones and targets related to the reform of the Civil Service and the improvement of the anti-corruption regulatory framework, investments and grant projects related to the green transition, such as the promotion of energy efficiency and renewable energy investments in small and medium-sized enterprises, municipalities, communities, the wider public sector, but also in the residential sector and the confirmation of the adequacy of monitoring and control procedures to ensure the optimal use of European funds.
For the successful completion of the first of the ten payment requests, President Anastasiades thanked the relevant Ministries and their officials, the European Commission, as well as the parliamentary parties for showing responsibility and voting for the necessary reform proposals, which are a prerequisite for the disbursement of the Recovery and Resilience Plan funds, which makes the cooperation of all the country's institutions imperative, with the Government, the legislature, the Civil Service and the social partners at the forefront, he noted.
It is to be expected, in an election period, he said, that the willingness of parties to adopt any new reforms would be discouraged. But what I wanted to stress once again is that the benefits of the adoption of the reforms and the implementation of the investment measures will not be reaped by the outgoing government of Anastasiades, but will be credited to all political forces, for the benefit of society and of course the citizens, he said.
Referring to the presentation of the National Plan "Cyprus - Tomorrow" on May 17, 2021, he recalled that he had said that the Recovery Plan can and must change the course of Cyprus. It is our country's great opportunity. It is the new national effort, it is our biggest common bet and we all have to win it together. This is the only way to ensure a secure perspective for the new generations, he said.
President Anastasiades said that although the pandemic may have temporarily halted the course of economic growth and progress of our country, with the dynamism, skills, professionalism and diligence of the human resources available in Cyprus, as well as the determination of the Government through the fiscal policy it has pursued, it is clear once again that we can once again turn the crisis into an opportunity.
The efforts are now focused on achieving the prerequisites for the second payment request of €85 million: 7 reforms and 11 investments, the majority of which have already been implemented or are in the process of being implemented, the President said.
I have no doubt that with determination, proper planning, consistency and the cooperation of the Executive and Legislative Powers and stakeholders, the timely implementation of these targets and milestones will again be achieved. For the Cyprus of tomorrow, the new version of the country. This is also our legacy to those who will succeed us, he concluded.
Source: CNA
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