The President of the Republic, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, received the Executive Committee of the OEB today at the Presidential Palace.
Welcoming the members of the Committee, President Christodoulides said, “It is always a great pleasure to meet with you.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
As I have repeatedly stated publicly, our Government clearly views you as partners, as fellow travelers in the great effort we are making to change our country, to modernize the state of the 1960s, to modernize it through continuous and bold reforms, such as, for example, the tax reform.
By lowering taxes, we have increased disposable income for both households and, of course, our businesses.
Another very important reform—the first since 1980—is currently underway: pension reform. Our goal is twofold: to ensure more decent pensions today and a sustainable Social Security Fund for the future.
I am pleased that just last week, the Statistical Service confirmed the best performance yet for our country’s labor market. In fact, these are the best results since 1999, when the Labor Force Survey began. Employment hit a historic high, and unemployment fell to levels not seen since 2008. We’ve seen such low unemployment rates, and what’s most encouraging for us is that youth unemployment is declining significantly—which is one of our goals.
Given these figures, combined with the growth trajectory of our economy, we estimate that by 2026 our country’s growth rate will be approximately 3.5%, perhaps among the highest in the Eurozone, at a time when there is a war in our immediate neighborhood, at a time when Europe’s strong economies are being put to the test. And all of this is the result of our responsible economic policy, our multifaceted foreign policy, and our reform plan. And, of course, it is the result of your own work, of Cypriot businesses, and of the Cypriot business community, and I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate and thank you, because Cypriot businesses, your members, are making a decisive contribution to our country’s progress and development.
For us—and I am certain that you share this approach to our political philosophy and to social liberalism— it is important that this growth be channeled back into society—that we return the benefits of growth to our society; which is why we support families, boost disposable income, improve citizens’ daily lives, and are able to invest in education, health care, housing, and the welfare state.
In the immediate future, we will move forward with other important initiatives in the direction I mentioned earlier, and with these, I reiterate my gratitude on behalf of the Government in action. We view you as partners. I look forward to our discussion on very important issues that concern both you and us—issues that concern Cypriot society as a whole.”
