Cyprus economic future discussed at LSE

The economic future of Cyprus – from tax and tourism to energy and immigration – is the subject a day-long conference on Friday at the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Politicians, academics and business leaders will consider how to sustain the country through the current European financial crisis and build a prosperous future.
Speakers include Praxoula Antoniadou-Kyriacou, Minister for Tourism, Commerce and Industry, Chris Pissarides, Nobel-prize winner and professor of economics at LSE and Fiona Mullen, a Financial Mirror columnist who will talk about opportunities and risks of professional services.
The panellists will also discuss not only broad economic issues such as budgets, loans taxation and spending but also focus on specific questions key to Cyprus’ future. These include:
-How should the country exploit energy reserves?
-How will an ageing population affect economic development?
-What future is there for the tourism sector?
-How should the country’s banking and business sectors be regulated?
The conference, “The Cyprus Economy at a Time of European Uncertainty”, is jointly organised by LSE’s Hellenic Observatory and LSEE–Research on South East Europe. While the Observatory has been a leading research centre for the study of contemporary Greece for more than 15 years, it has been steadily increasing its focus on Cyprus. In addition to the conference, it has recently appointed two senior research fellows dedicated to Cypriot issues.
One of the conference’s organisers, Dr James Ker-Lindsay, said: “We believe this is the first major international conference to be held on the Cypriot economy outside of the island and we are delighted at the range of leading experts from politics, business and the academic world who will be attending.
“It will be a chance to debate the big questions facing Cyprus at a time of European economic crisis. As well as discussions on the important macroeconomic issues, we will also examine various key sectors. This means we can consider Cyprus economy in the widest sense. Addressing issues about the country’s population growth, business life, energy needs and tourism are equally vital for its future.”