Anastasiades joins EUCO summit prep with EU leaders

President Nicos Anastasiades participated on Tuesday in a teleconference with the President of the European Council and EU heads of state and government, in preparation for the extraordinary European Council summit to take place online on February 25-26. 

Government spokesman Kyriakos Koushos said that the teleconference, convened by the President of the European Council, was also attended by heads of state and government of Austria, Finland, Romania and Slovakia. 

Koushos said that the European Council summit will focus on coronavirus-related developments as well as the joint European vaccination strategy. EU leaders will also be discussing the potential organization of an international convention on responding to possible future pandemics. Other issues on the agenda are related to European security and defense, cyber-attacks and hybrid threats, as well as the EU`s relations with the countries of the southern Mediterranean basin.

Koushos referred to the conclusions of the report by the European Court of Auditors that was presented on Monday, expressing the government’s satisfaction over Cyprus’ high ranking for absorbing and utilizing EU funds.

He noted that according to the report, as regards the European Development Fund, Cyprus is among the first countries with an inflow of 59%, compared to the 50% EU average, indicating that Cyprus appears to be absorbing more funds than what it contributes to the EU budget.

Koushos also referred to Head of the Representation of the European Commission in Cyprus Ierotheos Papadopoulos, who told the European Court of Auditors’ meeting yesterday, that Cyprus is not considered a high risk country in terms of transparent and correct distribution of funds.

The spokesman said that in the period 2021-2027, Cyprus will absorb through the Recovery and Resilience Facility and the Sustainability Fund, as well as the Cohesion Funds (structural funds) together with the national contribution, an amount exceeding three billion euros, which will be channelled into the real economy to the benefit of workers, businesses and households.