The island’s new airports will be delivered ahead of time, according to the chief executive of the multinational venture that will build and operate the brand new terminal buildings and runway extensions at Larnaca and Paphos at a cost of EUR 645 mln. The smaller Paphos airport and its new facilities will delivered by the
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Thousands of employers and the self-employed will now be able to pay their social security contributions over the internet online, 24 hours a day. It is hoped that this will save both time and money for people, as well as alleviating the workload of social insurance officers.The move is part of a drive to streamline
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The government has decided to halve the waiting time for refugees seeking a loan for housing and from beginning of 2007 will subsidise the interest that refugees and those affected from the 1974 war take directly from the banks.The Finance Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Christos Patsalides, informed the House Refugee Committee that the Cabinet had approved
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Hopes for unofficial EU approval  An expert group of professionals and economists is undertaking a study on whether the euro can be introduced simultaneously on both sides of the Green Line on January 1, 2008 as a way of promoting the reunification of Cyprus, with hopes of gaining unofficial EU approval for the idea.
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Urban Nicosia declines  Growth in the number of building permits authorised in Cyprus reached 8.8% year on year in January to September, down from 11.9% year on year in January-August. They reached a total value of CYP 1.04 bln, or around 12% of annual GDP. The fastest growing district by value has been Larnaca.
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The European Central Bank raised its key interest rates, hiking the minimum bid rate on its main refinancing operations to 3.50% from 3.25%, while the Bank of England, Bank of New Zealand and the Reserve Bank of Australia all maintained rates steady. The decision was taken at the meeting of the ECB governing council and
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José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, and Ján Figel’, Commissioner in charge of Education & Training, today hailed the ERASMUS programme for its leading role as a driver for modernising Europe’s higher education systems. They called for this role to be further reinforced as they launched the celebrations for the programme’s 20th anniversary
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The European Commission has today adopted a Green Paper to launch a reflection and public consultation on the application of the EU Trade Defence Instruments in a changing global economy. This public reflection process forms part of the Commission’s new Global Europe strategy for European competitiveness. The launch of the Green Paper today will be
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The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has unanimously awarded a Greek Cypriot refugee 800,000 euros in respect of pecuniary damage for being prevented from living in her home and having access to, using and enjoying her property in the Turkish-occupied eastern town of Famagusta.The Court also awarded Myra Xenides-Arestis 50,000 euros in respect of
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The Cyprus government is widely expected to reject Ankara’s last-minute effort to open one port and one airport to Greek Cypriot traffic in exchange for other concessions in a move that Turkey hopes will save its European Union accession hopes. Presidential spokesman Vassilis Palmas told RIK radio Thursday that the Turkish demand for the opening
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