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- Ελληνικά
The President of the Republic Mr.Nicos Christodoulides chaired a meeting with the political leaders on the Recovery and Resilience Plan at the Presidential Palace this afternoon.
After the meeting, Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letibiotis told reporters: "The meeting was about coordination with regard to the implementation of the reforms and milestones of the Recovery and Resilience Plan. As is well known, the Recovery and Resilience Fund is an ambitious project at EU level.
The €1.2 billion Cyprus Recovery and Resilience Plan is a very important milestone also for the modernisation of our country.
To date, very important reforms have already been implemented with the close cooperation of the executive, legislative and judicial authorities.
And it is precisely on this axis that the President of the Republic today, in the presence of the Minister of Finance, informed and discussed with the political leaders how this cooperation can be further improved, always having before us this important reform, this very important Plan, of Recovery and Resilience, especially after RepowerEU for the penetration of renewable energy sources with the funds that should be dedicated to this green transition.
It is very important not only that not a single euro is lost from the Plan in terms of fundraising, but perhaps much more importantly that these very important reforms aimed at modernising our country, at making Cyprus an even more modern, more digital European state can be implemented."
Asked if the Government intends to update projects that are not so late and put other new ones in their place, the Spokesman said: "Already, after the inclusion of RepowerEU, there was a need to amend the Plan. This amendment, as discussed before the Council of Ministers, is now in consultation with the European Commission and the Parliament will also receive the necessary information after today's meeting.
What is important is that, after being informed of the necessary amendments, the relevant committees can approve, wheel the bills as soon as possible, so that we can disburse the tranches on time, so that these reforms can also be implemented on time."
When asked, the Spokesman said: "Right now there is a delay in the second tranche. Cyprus is not the only member state that has this delay, 17 out of 27 member states have disbursed the second tranche. The aim is that by the end of 2023 we will have reached the milestones of both the second and the third tranche, in order to apply for the disbursement of these amounts, but also to implement the reforms, because, I repeat, what is important is not only the disbursement of the amounts, but also the implementation of the very important reforms."
In response to another question, the Spokesman said that of the €1.2 billion of the fund, €1 billion is financing and €200 million is borrowing.
In response to another question, he said that the Government is in consultation with the European Commission on the amendments, adding: "It is a common challenge for all member states to respond to the recovery and resilience plans."
This close collaboration between Parliament and the executive, particularly on the recovery and resilience plan, is something that, yes, at committee level with the relevant ministries where the bills are sent, will continue.
Already, this cooperation between the House of Representatives and the executive has been very close and it is a proof that in common challenges, in common goals, we can achieve a lot," the Government Spokesman added.
(PM/AF)
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