Call for digital transformation

President of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, called on social partners and political parties to cooperate with the Government for the modernization of the country, during the presentation by the Deputy Minister of Research, of the Innovation and Digital Policy under the 4th Pillar of the "Cyprus-Tomorrow" Plan:Towards a Digital Era.

As he said the disbursement of funds to meet the declared national objectives requires a series of reforms and legislative acts.
 
 "Once again I call on the political parties, the new Parliament that emerged after the elections of May 30, but also the social partners, to take action so that we can achieve our goals," he said.
 
He also referred to his forthcoming visit to Estonia in the coming weeks, where the two countries will sign a new, enhanced Memorandum of Cooperation in the fields of e-government, information and communication technologies, with the aim to benefit from the Estonian know-how, on several e-government projects.
 
In relation to the 4th Pillar of the "Cyprus - Tomorrow" Plan, he said that it is a comprehensive plan that concerns the upgrading of infrastructure for connectivity, the promotion of e-government and also reforms and investment actions related to the digital transformation. A plan, he added, that ensures the participation of Cyprus in the global digital revolution that has begun, which concerns and includes benefits for all and especially the new generation.
 
The President referred to the plan for digital transformation of the Central and the Local government in fields such as the justice system, the development of cross-border e-health services, the expansion of ultra-high speed networks throughout Cyprus, and the digital connection of Cyprus and Greece with an undersea fiber optic cable.
 
He also said that in combination with a series of actions included in the other policy pillars, through the Recovery and Resilience Facility, a total of over 280 million euros will be available for the digital transformation. At the same time, he stressed the importance given by the Government on strengthening the research and innovation sector, as well as start-ups and innovative enterprises.
 
The President also referred to the important role of the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy and added that despite the pandemic challenges, it has helped the government to fully respond to the unique and growing digital challenges.
 
In a short time, he said, the Government has transformed a state that for decades was technologically and digitally underdeveloped, into a state that could meet the demands of the conditions that followed the pandemic.
 
The President referred to the development of distance working, distance learning, processing of thousands of on-line requests for sponsorship projects and sending thousands of text messages to citizens for movement by exception during the lockdowns.
 
He also referred to the same-day tracking of hundreds of people who were close contacts of COVID patients, the creation of the vaccination portal for the entire population, the electronic registration of students and the electronic submission of the data of conscripts.
 
The President pointed out that the pandemic crisis has further highlighted the need to accelerate the digital transformation as an important pillar.
 
This, he added, requires, apart from those related reforms and investment activities under the Recovery and Resilience Facility, implementing a number of other ongoing e-government projects as in the health sector, but also the adoption of best practices by countries that are considered pioneers in the field.