Vision for Cyprus as a competitive regional hub

Cyprus’ Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Philippos Hadjizacharias, said his vision is for Cyprus to become a competitive regional hub, with a society ready for the future and an even stronger economy thanks to digital technologies. In an interview with CNA, the Deputy Minister said that, projects to the tune of more than €300 million were underway.

He also said that he was given the green light from the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, for his proposal for the creation of a “transparency platform”, where decisions on Government projects and actions will be announced in order to inform citizens regarding public expenditure. His Deputy Ministry will prepare a proposal-plan to be submitted to the Council of Ministers, he said.

The goal of the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Hadjizacharias said, was “the complete digital transformation” of the Government and the implementation of the National Digital Strategy. “Our vision, and mine personally, is for Cyprus to become a competitive regional hub, with a society ready for the future and an even stronger economy thanks to digital technologies”, he added.

He noted that the National Digital Strategy is based on three pillars, Government, Society and Economy, and that all three pillars are interconnected, adding that, at the moment, projects to the tune of more than €300 million were underway. These include projects on simplifying procedures, improving the quality of life of citizens, training, and expediting procedures, he said.

He said that there are many projects running at the moment, such as the installation of modern information systems in public hospitals, the Registrar of Companies, the Departments of Town Planning and of Road Transport, and the Land Registry. At the same time, there are digital infrastructure upgrade projects, he said, such as projects to provide internet access throughout Cyprus, including in remote areas, as well as the “Smart Cities” an around €35 million project, financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan, for the creation of the “Cy Smart City Platform” which will include three categories - smart lighting, smart parking, and smart waste management.

On the issue of cybersecurity, following recent hacker attacks on the Land Registry portal and two state universities, he said they have proceeded with the implementation of the Security Operations Centre, which is under the Digital Security Authority (DSA), and at the same time, in collaboration with the DSA and the IT Services Department, they have proceeded with the installation of sensors in all crucial state infrastructures for round-the-clock, monitoring of these systems. They have also trained around 10,000 civil servants on cyber security issues while they have launched a Cybersecurity Guide to inform members of the public and businesses on such issues, he said.

“Cyber attacks are part of global reality”, he said, adding that, Cyprus is not unprotected and that the goal was to shield the state structures, and ensure continuity of operations.

Regarding whether more services will be added to the website of the Republic of Cyprus, Gov.cy, Hadjizacharia said that Gov.cy was the “focal point” for the state’s digital transformation and that all Government websites will be hosted on this platform, a project, which will be implemented within the year.

At the same time, he said, Gov.cy is where citizens and businesses will receive online services, and this will be implemented at a later stage. He explained that citizens and businesses will be able to make payments, submit applications, and receive certificates through the portal.

Hadjizacharias also said that it was “necessary” to link officials’ source of wealth declarations with the Government agencies to document the accuracy of the information they submit.

The Deputy Minister also said they were working on the introduction of the national digital wallet on the electronic access of citizens to their certificates such as identity card, passport, driver's license, etc., while they were also working with the competent bodies for Cyprus’ participation in the EU e-wallet.

Hadjizacharias also said that, together with the Gender Equality Commissioner, Josie Christodoulou, they will work on offering digital skills training to elderly people living in mountainous or remote areas, noting that there are also training programmes currently running for members of the public and businesses.