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361. First Lady launches initiative to convert Presidential Palace into 'Zero Waste to Landfill' building

First Lady Philippa Karsera Christodoulides and Environment Commissioner Maria Panayiotou presented their joint initiative on Monday to transform the Presidential Palace into a Zero Waste to Landfill building. The initiative aligns with World Earth Day, celebrated on April 22nd....

362. Fiscal surplus of €570.2 mn and 86.5% debt to GDP ratio in 2022

The Statistical Service announced on Friday a fiscal surplus of €570.2 mn, which corresponds to 2.1% of GDP and a fiscal debt of €23,371.1 mn, which corresponds to 86.5% of GDP....

363. EU lawmakers pass proposals to address migration crisis

European Union lawmakers on Thursday approved a series of proposals aimed at ending the yearslong standoff over how best to manage migration, a conundrum that has provoked one of the bloc’s biggest political crises....

364. Finance Minister considers lowering VAT rates for basic necessities

The Minister of Finance of Cyprus, Makis Keravnos, has announced that the Ministry is considering measures for banks and credit-acquiring companies to absorb high-interest rate increases, as well as reducing value-added tax (VAT) for basic necessity products to tackle high prices....

365. Nicosia launches special unit to sift through sanctions

No derogation from EU sanctions will be tolerated, President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides stressed on Wednesday during a meeting at the Presidential Palace on the sanctions imposed by the US and the UK against natural and legal persons from Cyprus. The President was also informed about the procedures to establish the National Sanctions Implementation Unit...

366. EU vague on US-UK latest Russian sanctions

The European Commission is in contact with member states regarding the implementation of sanctions, Commission spokesperson Arianna Podesta told the Cyprus News Agency responding to a question on whether the Cypriot authorities have briefed the European Commission on their intended next steps regarding sanctions imposed by the US and the UK on Cypriot individuals and entities...

367. Cyprus faces legal action over inadequate wastewater treatment

Cyprus is currently facing legal action by the European Commission for failing to ensure that its wastewater treatment plants comply with EU legislation....

368. US monitoring of UN Secretary-General Guterres revealed in leaked documents

Leaked Pentagon files indicate the United States was monitoring UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres because it believed he was too soft on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine....

369. EU calls on aspiring journalists to train in Brussels

The European Commission has announced that it has launched a call for journalism students and young journalists to participate in Youth4Regions, an EU program for budding journalists that includes a week of training in Brussels....

370. Our top priority is ensuring accessible and high-quality medicines, says Kyriakides

"A 'strong European Health Union' will contribute to the building of strong, resilient, and sustainable health systems of tomorrow that will ensure better care for patients," said Commissioner Stella Kyriakides in her message for World Health Day....

371. Macron's mission in China: Convincing Xi on Ukraine

372. EU's digital travel document plan faces backlash

The Commission of the European Union has officially launched a public consultation on the digitalization of travel documents and facilitation of travel, which requires EU citizens to share their opinions on the matter....

373. Lack of legal protection in EU adoptions

Intercountry adoption is the adoption of a child habitually resident in one state by parents habitually resident in another state, as defined in Article 2 of the 1993 Hague Convention, which ensures cross-border recognition of adoptions. However, in practice, additional procedures are required for its recognition in certain States, including EU Member States....

374. Cypriot professor Phoebe Koundouri honored for contribution to Science

On Thursday, the 23rd of March, Prof. Phoebe Koundouri was awarded the Academy of Athens Excellence in Science Award 2023 for her contribution to the advancement of the Science of the Marine Environment by the President of the Academy of Athens, Michael-Konstantinos Stathopoulos, and the Secretary-General, Christos Zerefos....

375. Illegal contracts awarded by former Finance Minister, says Audit office

The Audit Office has confirmed that two contracts, awarded by the former Finance Minister without an open tender, were illegal. The Attorney General's opinion that the direct award was legal was also called into question....

376. FinMin stresses importance of stable legislation for out-of-court auctions

The Finance Ministry has stressed the importance of having stable legislation regulating out-of-court auctions, in tandem with an effective insolvency framework in order to achieve a reduction of bad loans....

377. EC: Head of transport to resign over free trips to Qatar

The European Commission's top transport official is expected to resign after his decision to accept free air travel to Qatar while his team was negotiating a major aviation deal with the Gulf state....

378. Halloumi’s twin Hellim gets PDO in the north

A dairy in the north is the first Turkish Cypriot business found to be compliant with PDO requirements for halloumi, the cheese that grills, meaning ‘hellim’ can now compete with its Greek Cypriot twin in the EU market...

379. Keravnos urges banks to restructure loans and keep rates low

Cyprus Finance Minister Makis Keravnos has urged banks to restructure loans, maintain low lending rates and bank charges, and increase deposit rates in light of continued basic rate hikes by Central Banks. He warned that otherwise the government "would make different thoughts."...

380. EC pushing Cyprus to pass home VAT bill or risk sanctions

Cyprus is currently facing a serious issue with the 5% VAT rate for first-time homeowners. The European Commission has issued a final warning to pass a bill that regulates the issue that has been ongoing since 2020....

381. Single EU work & residence permit for 3rd country nationals

The Members of the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee have agreed today on a draft legislation that updates the way single work and residence permits for third-country nationals are issued....

382. At the EU summit with an eye on the Cyprus issue

Christodoulides attempted to lay out his vision for active EU engagement on the issue of breaking the six-year deadlock in Cyprus talks on the first day of his first European Council summit as President. ...

383. Clocks in Cyprus spring forward this weekend

Residents in Cyprus will lose an hour of sleep after Daylight Saving Time goes into effect Sunday morning, with European officials and public opinion still divided on whether there is value in switching back and forth at all...

384. How communication affects safety

A workshop on communication and its impact on safety issues such as road collisions and industrial accidents was organized by the CERIDES Research Centre of the European University Cyprus in cooperation with the Cyprus Police....

385. Cyprus president satisfied with early bird EU meetings

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said he was satisfied from his meetings on Wednesday with Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, in Brussels...

386. Cyprus to open 4 new embassies this year

Cyprus' diplomatic presence abroad is being upgraded with the reopening or the opening of four embassies in 2023....

387. Cyprus joins war against fake news

The members of the Association of Balkan News Agencies - Southeastern Europe, headquartered in Sofia, signed a declaration pledging to combat fake news in Thessaloniki on Monday, hosted by Athens-Macedonian News Agency...

388. President travels to Brussels to attend European Council meeting

Cyprus President, Nikos Christodoulides, departs on Tuesday evening for Brussels, where he will attend the European Council meeting that will take place on March 23 and 24....

389. Brussel's wager

The next three days will be a frenzy of diplomatic activity for Nicosia, as the European Council meets in Brussels on March 23-24. ...

390. 1 billion euros from the EU for Turkey's reconstruction

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, and Ulf Kristerson, Prime Minister of Sweden, who holds the EU Council presidency, are hosting a donors' conference in Brussels today to raise funds and coordinate aid to those affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria....