In the teleconference, in which the President of the Republic of Cyprus participated with the President of the European Council and Heads of EU Member States, as well as on the issue of the absorption of EU funds from Cyprus, government spokesman Kyriakos I. Kousios made statements today. at the Presidential Palace
Mr. Kousios said that “the President of the Republic, Mr. Nikos Anastasiadis, participated today in a teleconference convened by the President of the European Council, Mr. Charles Michel. The heads of state and government of Austria, Finland, Romania and Slovakia also attended the conference. The teleconference was aimed at preparing for the extraordinary European Council to be held by teleconference on 25 and 26 February.
The European Council will address, inter alia:
a. Developments related to the effort to curb the coronavirus pandemic and the common European vaccination strategy.
b. Promoting an International Convention on Readiness to Respond to Possible Future Pandemics.
c. European Security and Defense issues in general, and issues related to cyber attacks and hybrid threats in particular.
d. Issues of the so-called “Southern Neighborhood”, in which the political and strategic importance of the EU’s relationship with the countries of the southern Mediterranean basin will be discussed “.
Furthermore, Mr. Kousios noted:
“It is with satisfaction that the government was informed that in the Conclusions of the Report of the European Court of Auditors, which was presented during yesterday’s session, it is recorded that Cyprus is among the first places in the absorption and utilization of EU funds.
As specifically mentioned in the Report of the European Court of Auditors, especially for the European Development Fund, Cyprus ranks among the first places with 59% inflows, compared to 50% of the EU average, while it appears to raise more funds than it offers in the EU budget.
It is particularly important and honorable that during yesterday’s meeting of the European Court of Auditors, the Representative of the European Commission in Cyprus Mr. Ierotheos Papadopoulos pointed out that “Cyprus is not considered a high risk country in terms of transparent and correct distribution of funds.”
We would like to remind you that during the period 2021-2027, Cyprus will absorb through the Recovery and Sustainability Fund, as well as the Political Cohesion Funds (Structural Funds) together with the national contribution, an amount of over three billion euros which will be channeled into real economy for the benefit of workers, businesses and households “.
