DISY

Parties favour legislation requiring insurance for doctors

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Parties favour legislation requiring insurance for doctors

The legislation introduced by Disy to the House health committee, which mandates insurance coverage for all doctors to practice in Cyprus, received favorable responses from political parties and stakeholders. This legislation aims to benefit both doctors and patients by ensuring doctors are covered against professional negligence. Currently, doctors within the national health scheme Gesy are covered, but private sector doctors are covered based on their contracts with private hospitals. However, there are many private doctors without insurance coverage. Issues regarding the amount and procedures of insurance coverage were discussed, with the Cyprus Medical Association and insurance companies expected to address these internally to issue specific regulations. Akel MP Marina Nicolaou expressed agreement with the principle of insurance coverage for all healthcare professionals but is awaiting answers to questions about doctors employed by the health ministry and not by the state health service (Okypy).

Final bills on local govt reform heading for House

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Final bills on local govt reform heading for House

The law on local authority reform in Cyprus is nearing approval, with the final set of bills scheduled to be presented to the plenum on March 28. This development comes after delays and disagreements among members of parliament. The committee chair, Akel MP Aristos Damianou, criticized the government for submitting the bills to parliament late. Despite previous controversies over amendments to the legislation, the majority of these amendments now have the support of all political parties and independent MPs. Lawmakers, including Disy MP Nikos Sykas and Diko MP Panicos Leonidou, expressed their focus on achieving reform and highlighted the cooperative spirit of the discussions.

Govt given 15 days to decide who will run marinas

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Govt given 15 days to decide who will run marinas

The House commerce committee in Cyprus has given the government a 15-day deadline to clarify which entity will oversee the country’s marinas. Committee chairman Kyriakos Hadjiyiannis highlighted internal conflicts within government departments regarding this issue and suggested that the tourism deputy ministry should take responsibility. He emphasized the importance of the marinas for maritime tourism and warned that without a government response, the committee would vote to assign oversight to the tourism deputy ministry to foster the sector’s development.

‘The elderly’s problems are not government’s priority’

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‘The elderly’s problems are not government’s priority’

– House Labour committee chairman and Akel MP Andreas Kafkalias claimed that the problems of the elderly are not a priority for the government.
– Issues discussed six years ago regarding services for the elderly have not been addressed by the government.
– The institutional care allowance for the elderly is €750 per month, while the costs often exceed €1,400 per month.
– The implementation of “red buttons” in elderly people’s homes for emergency assistance has been pending since 2019, with no updates provided to the committee.
– The social welfare deputy minister will be questioned about pension payments in a forthcoming committee meeting.
– Disy MP Fotini Tsiridou emphasized the urgency of addressing elderly issues and mentioned the significant increase in car insurance premiums for drivers over 70.
– The low-income pensioners’ allowance was increased by five percent, resulting in an increase of three to eleven euros for most, which is considered insufficient.

House considers reducing fees for Cyprus startups

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House considers reducing fees for Cyprus startups

The House Committee on Energy, Trade, Industry and Tourism revisited a proposal aimed at abolishing fees for innovative startups to boost innovation and entrepreneurship. The proposal seeks to eliminate financial burdens like the €165 company incorporation fee and the €2,000 fee for converting a private company into a public one, essential for accessing funds from the money market. The fee exemption would not cover fines for regulatory non-compliance. The initiative has support from various representatives, including Marios Mavrides, who emphasized the struggle of small startups, and Kyriakos Hadjiyiannis, the committee president. The Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, represented by Elena Poulli, also supports the proposal, highlighting its potential to help innovative businesses find investors. The proposal’s compliance with state aid regulations was addressed, emphasizing the need for approval to ensure the aid does not breach selectivity principles.

Demetriou advocates for resuming Cyprus issue negotiations

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Demetriou advocates for resuming Cyprus issue negotiations

Disy leader Annita Demetriou met with the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy, Maria Angela Holguin, to discuss the Cyprus issue. Demetriou conveyed that the only viable solution is to resume negotiations from where they stopped in Crans-Montana, emphasizing a solution under the UN’s auspices based on a bizonal, bi-communal federation with political equality. She highlighted the danger of maintaining the status quo and rejected a two-state solution, advocating for negotiations based on the Guterres plan and previous convergences. Demetriou also shared Disy’s initiatives to foster conditions conducive to resolving the Cyprus issue and stressed the urgency of addressing the conflict, given the ongoing occupation for over 50 years.

Plenum approves 2024 Cyta budget amid political debates

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Plenum approves 2024 Cyta budget amid political debates

The House plenum approved the 2024 budget for the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (Cyta), with expenditures of €501 million and revenues of €412 million. Cyta’s personnel payroll and benefits expenses are €148 million, and it is projected to post a pre-tax surplus of €23.1 million. The organization’s pension fund had a €75 million deficit at the end of 2022. Cyta spends approximately €15 million annually on electricity costs and is working towards achieving ‘energy autonomy’ by 2027 through a project by its subsidiary, Cyta Power Ltd. The House also approved the 2024 budget for the Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC), with expenditures of €2.39 billion and projected revenues of €2.1 billion, expecting to generate €1.3 billion in revenue from electricity sales.

‘Investigate church donations for money laundering’

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‘Investigate church donations for money laundering’

The attorney-general’s office in Cyprus has appointed two investigators, Ninos Kekkos and George Papaioannou, to examine criminal offenses related to an ongoing scandal involving monks. MPs have urged the money laundering unit (Mokas) to investigate the church following revelations about monks paying for social media posts to increase cash flow. Justice Minister Marios Hartsiotis has committed to a thorough investigation of the scandal. Allegations have emerged involving the far-right Elam party leader Christos Christou, former police chief Kypros Michaelides, Mokas, and the police. Concerns were raised about €800,000 in cash found at the Osiou Avvakoum monastery and the handling of the money. MPs have suggested that the church might be involved in money laundering, citing donations from Russian oligarchs and Malaysian businessman Jho Low. The church’s financial dealings, including those with foreign donors, are under scrutiny, with calls for a more rigorous investigation into the source of the funds. There are also allegations of police misconduct in the handling of the money transfer operation related to the scandal.

Monastery implicated in environmental scandal

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Monastery implicated in environmental scandal

The Osiou Avakoum monastery was implicated in an environmental scandal for being built on land protected under the Natura 2000 environmental policy. Legal action has been taken against the monastery, the church committee, and Archimandrite Nektarios Georgiou for unauthorized constructions on the site. Investigations revealed illegal constructions and a lack of final approvals for various buildings. The monastery, constructed in 2020, is also under police investigation for claims of financial extortion.

Holguin to meet Disy leader

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Holguin to meet Disy leader

UN Secretary General’s personal envoy Maria Holguin is on her second visit to Cyprus, where she will continue her meetings. She is scheduled to meet with the head and members of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Nicosia and with Disy party leader Annita Demetriou. President Nikos Christodoulides mentioned a forthcoming meeting with Holguin and expressed willingness to meet Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar in Holguin’s presence. Holguin was appointed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in January to explore restarting Cyprus talks and has met with the leaders of both communities and the guarantor powers.