The European Commission issued reasoned opinions to Cyprus and other member states for failing to implement a minimum 15 per cent tax rate on large multinational corporations.
Fact: The primary focus of the exercise was to assess the effectiveness of the national firefighting strategy ‘Hephaestus’ for large forest fire suppression.
The Embassy of Israel in Cyprus held a reception in Nicosia to mark the 76th anniversary of the establishment of the State of Israel. Ambassador Oren Anolik welcomed guests from various sectors and highlighted the impact of the Hamas terror attack on October 7, 2023. He drew parallels between the attack and the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974, praising the strong bilateral relations and the successful implementation of the Amalthea Plan.
Cyprus is a robust member of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO) with ten active investigations in Cyprus and assistance in 58 cases involving other participating member states.
Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou and Greek Cypriot Minister of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy Christos Stylianides discussed migration and the Greece-Cyprus INTERREG Cross-Border Cooperation Programme. They emphasized the importance of supporting countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region, particularly Lebanon, in strengthening their migrant reception and hosting systems. The successful implementation of the cooperation programme led to institutionalized collaboration between the two countries to address challenges in managing migratory flows. A new strategic project involving the procurement of surveillance vehicles was submitted for the new programming period 2021-2027. Both ministers reaffirmed their high level of cooperation and agreed to explore additional synergies to increase readiness and response to operational challenges.
Students in the capital are having difficulty accessing free, cool drinking water at school. The federation of parents’ associations of primary schools in Nicosia is calling for the re-launch and completion of a program announced by the education ministry in 2017 to provide cool and clean water to school units.
Fact: European Union Member States are in the process of implementing the global minimum tax in line with a directive unanimously agreed to at the end of 2022.
The implementation of local government reform in Cyprus is at an advanced stage and will be completed by the July 1 deadline, according to Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou.