Filenews 14 March 2021 - Eleftheria Paizanou
Sixty projects are expected to be implemented by 2026, with Cyprus receiving similar funds - around ONE billion euros - from the Recovery Fund, set up by the European Investment Bank. According to the draft sent to the Commission in January, investment concerns all five axes of the national recovery plan, namely public health and civil protection, the green economy, strengthening the resilience of the competitiveness of the economy, the digital economy and the labour market.
These are projects that are expected to contribute to the modernisation of the state, strengthen the resilience of the economy and make public administration and the judicial system more efficient. At the same time, the projects will modernise the tax framework, upgrade the green economy and education system, and improve the health system.
All projects included in the national recovery plan should be completed by August 2026, otherwise the country will not receive all the money from the Recovery Fund. It is recalled that Cyprus can raise €968 million from the European fund, but projects amounting to €1.2 billion have been included in the national plan. (state resources). The final draft of the Cyprus recovery plan will be submitted to the European Commission in April and details of the 60 projects to be promoted will be reported. Of the total investments planned, a total of 13 projects concern the public health and civil protection sector in order to improve the quality of services provided by the General Health System and contribute to the strengthening of public hospitals.
In detail, the main investments in the health system, which in total will amount to €78.5 million, will be made in the first half of the year. are as follows:
- Accreditation of public and private hospitals.
- Purchase and replacement of medical equipment in public and private hospitals.
- Development of the Makarios Hospital, to offer full treatment to children for all cases.
- Establishment or extension of dialysis units in all public hospitals in Cyprus.
- Creation of new facilities for the Blood Centre and supply of the most modern technology.
- Strengthening the Accident and Emergency Departments in all public hospitals in Cyprus.
- Strengthening the General Hospitals of Paphos and Limassol.
- Expansion of the Department of Interventional - Neuro-invasive Radiology, including the provision of medical equipment.
- Establishment of a Covid-19 unit at Famagusta Hospital.
- Establishment of a communicable diseases unit at Limassol General Hospital.
- An innovative system of information and communication technologies (ICT) of public health Cyprus is promoted.
For the health and civil protection sector, it is in the planning and creation of a public warning system to support emergency functions via SMS, with additional options (e.g. TV, radio, social media, applications, etc.), as well as the creation of a special security centre at the Vasilikos Energy Centre.
Green investment
In addition, 21 investments will be made in the green economy sector, for which €422.5m in funds have been included. These are projects that will contribute to the green transition, sustainability and the achievement of the national energy efficiency and renewable energy targets for 2030. The main investments for the green economy are divided into four categories.
In particular, ten projects and projects are planned for climate neutrality, energy efficiency and renewable energy penetration (€213.5 million):
- Support plan (grants) to promote energy efficiency investments in small and medium-sized enterprises.
- Support plan (grants) to promote energy efficiency in municipalities, communities and the wider public sector.
- Support plan (grants) for the promotion of renewable energy sources and energy efficiency measures in dwellings.
- Support plan (grants) to encourage the use of renewable energy sources and energy savings by local/wider public authorities as well as non-governmental organisations.
- Reducing CO2 emissions in industries, businesses and organisations.
- Construction of new high energy efficiency school buildings.
- Upgrading the energy efficiency of school buildings through the installation of photovoltaic panels and thermal installation.
- Installation of grid-connected photovoltaic energy systems in water treatment plants and water pumping stations.
- Mass installation and operation by the Distribution System Operator (DSO) of The Advanced Metering Infrastructure.
- Market management system to facilitate the opening up of the electricity market to competition.
In relation to sustainable transport (€96 million), the government fleet of vehicles with electric vehicles and the installation of the necessary charging infrastructure are expected to be replaced. Plans for the purchase of electric vehicles and vehicle replacement will also be implemented. Plans will also be prepared to install charging stations in public places and charging points in residential, local authorities, businesses and areas accessible to the public and to improve sustainable urban mobility and accessibility.
Another €73m will be used to fund the project. will be spent on smart and sustainable water resource management, on the digital and technological upgrading of water and sanitation tables for improved operation and monitoring and on water reserve infrastructure. In addition, the old water infrastructure will be replaced, a renovation of the water treatment facilities will be promoted, and a number of measures will be taken to deal with flooding.
Three other projects are planned to protect and enhance biodiversity, wildlife and the environment (€40 million). These are projects relating to fire protection and the protection of the marine environment from oil pollution. The improvement and upgrading of services and leisure infrastructure in forests is planned.
Many competitiveness projects
At the same time, 21 projects have been included in the Cyprus draft which will help to strengthen the resilience and competitiveness of the economy. The total budget of this axis is €509.5 million. and the works are divided into five categories. In the field of enhanced research and innovation (€64 million), the creation and operation of a knowledge transfer office, the implementation of innovation funding programmes as well as research and innovation funding for the green transition are expected. For business support for competitiveness, Cyprus will allocate €137 million to the European Investment Bank (EIB). , in order to create an integrated information system for the Registrar of Companies and a digital business upgrade plan will be implemented. The creation of a State-funded investment fund to support small and medium-sized enterprises through participation in their share capital is also promoted. In addition, actions should be taken to support extroversion and the opening up of Cypriot businesses. In the meantime, the main investments related to the modernisation of the public service and local government, the improvement of the efficiency of justice and the fight against corruption (€82 million) focus on the digitisation of the legislative process and the development of an integrated legislative platform - database. The electronic system for issuing building permits, upgrading the infrastructure of the courts and a training and awareness-raising campaign against corruption is also expected. In order to ensure fiscal and financial stability (€41 million) it is planned to strengthen the supervisory function of the Securities and Exchange Commission, install an integrated tax information system and modernise the customs and electronic payment system.
Projects for the digital economy and the labour market
In the digital economy, the projects promoted will contribute to the digital transformation of Cyprus, inclusive, through adequate access to communication infrastructures for all citizens. This will be achieved by ensuring 5G mobile coverage and fibre optic network for 100% of the population, including the development of 5G mobile telephony along the main "terrestrial corridors" and universal and affordable access to Gigabit connectivity in all urban and rural areas.
For the digital economy (€95.5 million) the main investments planned are:
- Expansion of very high capacity networks in inadequate areas.
- Improve the cable infrastructure to be "Gigabit-ready" and promote the absorption of connectivity (allowing end-users to connect to very high capacity networks, developed near their home, by reducing the cost of wiring and the connection fee).
- Installation of international underwater cables connecting Cyprus with Greece, for interconnection with the most important internet networks in the region.
- Digital transformation of the Ministry of Shipping.
- Digital transformation of Cypriot ports.
- "Skytale" (upgrading the Security Systems of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the promotion and exchange of classified information through secure tunnels).
- Upgrading the existing system of the Department of Labour Inspection or developing a new system.
Finally, €122.5 million will be claimed for the labour market, education and human resources, of which €80 million will be used to support the development of the labour market. will be made available for the modernisation of education systems, upgrading and retraining. It is planned to create two models of technical schools and implement training programmes for workers in digital skills, green economy as well as health and safety issues. For the labour market (€42.5 million), the plans include the creation of multifunctional centres for children, children's centres in municipalities and the granting of incentives for the employment of young people (aged 15-29 years) "NEET -Not in Employment, Education and Training".
