The President of the Republic, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides called on the communities of free Cyprus tonight to finalize projects so that they can be approved by the government in 2027, when 3.5 billion euros will be allocated for their implementation.
In remarks made upon his arrival at an event in the community of Dymes, and when asked about Cyprus’s role regarding the European Union’s energy security—a topic mentioned in today’s remarks by the President of the European Council— the President of the Republic said that “there is a two-pronged effort.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The first concerns issues of our country’s energy security. And that is why we are working on the basis of a specific plan and strategy. It concerns the completion of the natural gas pipeline, and I am referring to the infrastructure at Vasilikos. This is very important; the bids have been submitted, and the process is moving forward.
And the second issue is the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus, specifically the blocks. In addition to the blocks that have already been allocated, we are in discussions with energy giants regarding the allocation of additional blocks, so that the Eastern Mediterranean—in cooperation with Egypt as well as Israel, the Republic of Cyprus, and possibly other countries in our region, can create an alternative energy corridor for Europe.
Europe’s energy security and the energy security of its member states are matters of the highest priority, as evidenced by the developments that began in Ukraine in 2022.
Beyond that, and I would like to mention this in the presence of the President of the European Commission as well, because today’s discussion with the President of the European Council focused largely on the Multiannual Financial Framework, that is, the European Union’s budget for the next seven years. I am referring to the period 2028–2034, and we are in the final stage of negotiations; we aim to reach a political agreement by the end of the year, and based on this budget, as things stand today, our country is set to receive approximately 2.5 billion euros, plus the 1 billion euros contributed by the Republic of Cyprus.
Therefore, the Council of Ministers will decide and announce, sometime in 2027, projects throughout free Cyprus totaling 3.5 billion euros. And that is why I would like to take this opportunity today to call on all our communities—as a government, we place particular emphasis on our rural areas—to develop project proposals, so that they can be approved by the Government in 2027.
We stand with our communities so that, through the infrastructure we will build, we can give these beautiful regions a further boost.
And I am delighted because, as soon as I arrived in the community, the community president told me that this is the first visit by a President of the Republic to the community. And it is not only our minimum obligation, but we must also demonstrate in practice that we support these areas, and the project we are inaugurating today is precisely in that direction.”
When asked about Cyprus’s readiness to join the Schengen Area and whether any messages had been received from the EU regarding this matter, the President of the Republic said that “with the Commission’s report, which assessed our country, which is a very positive report recommending that the Republic of Cyprus’s application for full accession to the Schengen Area be examined as a matter of priority, we are working to ensure that a political decision is reached as soon as possible. This decision will be made by the Council—that is, by the member states—at the level of the Council of Ministers of the Interior and Justice, and we are working together with the Council, that is, with all the member states as well as with the Commission, so that we can reach this very important political decision as soon as possible.”
