Day: March 11, 2024

On 31 January 2024, 4.3 million non-EU citizens, who fled Ukraine as a consequence of the Russian invasion on 24 February 2022, have temporary protection status in the EU, the Statistical Service of the EU has said. The main EU countries hosting beneficiaries of temporary protection from Ukraine were Germany (1 270 150 people; 29.5% of total EU), Poland (951 560; 22.1%) and the Czech Republic (381 190; 8.9%). Compared with the end of December 2023, the largest absolute increases in the number of beneficiaries were observed in Germany (+18 905; +1.5%), Czechia (+8 155; +2.2%), and Spain (+2 830; +1.5%). The number of beneficiaries decreased in 5 EU countries, namely Italy (-18 125 people; -11.2%), Poland (-3 235; -0.3%), Estonia (-225; -0.6%), France (-205; -0.3%), and Luxembourg (-10; -0.2%). On 28 September 2023, the European Council agreed to extend the temporary protection for people fleeing from Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine from 4 March 2024 to 4 March 2025. Source: Cyprus News Agency

The United States designated sixteen entities and individuals in a transnational network that spans the Horn of Africa, United Arab Emirates, and Cyprus, for facilitating financing and money laundering for the al-Shabaab terrorist organization. According to State Department's Spokesperson, Mathew Miller, the threat posed by al-Shabaab is not limited to Somalia. He said that Al-Shabaab's revenues are disbursed to other al-Qa'ida-linked groups worldwide and help fund al-Qa'ida's global ambitions to commit acts of terrorism and undermine good governance. "Today's action reflects the United States' counterterrorism priorities in Somalia and supports the dynamic relationship we have established with the Somali government to counter the terrorist threats endangering the Somali people and undermining their communities. The United States also remains focused on disrupting al-Qa'i'da's access to the international financial system" Mathew Miller noted. Furthermore, according to the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), Al-Shabaab generates over $100 million per year by extorting local businesses and individuals, as well as through the financial support of affiliated businesspeople. The threat posed by al-Shabaab is not limited to Somalia, a relevant announcement says. Al-Shabaab's revenues are disbursed to other al-Qa'ida-supported groups worldwide and help fund al-Qa'ida's global ambitions to sow discord and undermine good governance, it is added. 'This action continues Treasury's efforts to disrupt al-Shabaab's abuse of the regional financial system and builds on OFAC's October 2022 designation of a network of al-Shabaab financial facilitators who served as key interlocutors between al-Shabaab and local businesses in Somalia', the announcement notes. As for Cyprus-related entities and individuals, the sanctions are turned against the Dubai-based Haleel Commodities L.L.C., also known as Haleel Group, which the Department of Treasury characterises as a key financial facilitator for al-Shabaab, which relies on the leaders of Haleel Group, as well as its branches and subsidiaries in Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, and Cyprus to generate and launder funds. Haleel Group's subsidiaries in Cyprus include Haleel Finance LTD, Haleel Holdings, and Haleel LTD, it is added, among others. An individual which directs and manages Haleel Group's branches in Kenya, Uganda, Cyprus, and the UAE, and supports al-Shabaab by generating funds for the group through these businesses, is also mentioned. Source: Cyprus News Agency

The European Union honors the memory of the victims of terrorism. A press release by the European Commission says that 'on the European Remembrance Day for Victims of Terrorism we honor the memory of all those who have tragically fallen victims to terrorist acts, whether on EU soil or beyond our borders". This year, it adds, holds particular significance as we mark the commemoration of the attack in Madrid two decades ago. "The memory of the victims will live on. It will serve as a poignant reminder of the enduring impact of terrorism". The European Day of Remembrance of Victims of Terrorism was established after the Madrid bombings of 11 March 2004. Each year since 2005, the European Union remembers on this date the victims of terrorist atrocities worldwide. Source: Cyprus News Agency

There will be another meeting with the UN Secretary General's personal envoy on Cyprus, within the coming days, President, Nikos Christodoulides, said on Monday, after his meeting with Maria Angela Holguin Cuellar, at the Presidential Palace. Holguin, in her own statements, said that they had 'a very good meeting' and that plenty of ideas were heard, noting that this week was important for her because she is to hold meetings with political parties, media representatives, and the Chamber of Commerce. According to Government Spokesperson, Konstantinos Letymbiotis, who made statements after the meeting, Holguin briefed President Christodoulides about her contacts in Athens, Ankara and London, and that, during the meeting, there was an exchange of views, about the methods, and the next steps in order to achieve the resumption of negotiations within the agreed framework. He also said that, apart from public statements from London, nothing has been conveyed by Holguin, as regards the guarantors' positions. The S pokesperson noted that Holguin will be in Cyprus until Sunday, and that the President of the Republic conveyed to her, once again, the position that staying for more days 'would be beneficial' since they could hold even more meetings, to achieve the resumption of negotiations. 'We had a very good meeting and plenty of ideas, I think', Holguin said after the meeting. She added that this week was important to her, because she is going to meet with the political parties, media representatives, such as editors and journalists, 'and I think it's going to be a very interesting meeting for the situation in Cyprus', she noted. Holguin said she was to also meet with the Chamber of Commerce, 'because the trade is important', she said, adding that this week, she was going to have 'this part of the picture'. She also said that she came to Cyprus after contacts with the three guarantor powers, in Ankara, London, and Athens, and that 'there were very good meetings' and that she informed her interlocutors about how she s ees the situation. She noted that she continues to work with all her energy. To a journalist's question about positive signs so far, if any, she said that the sides were 'willing to explore', noting that this was 'a good thing'. President Christodoulides, asked by journalists if any ideas had been discussed at this meeting, he said 'we were briefed about her contacts and there will be a new meeting'. 'We have conveyed our own readiness for the resumption of the negotiations as soon as possible', Letymbiotis said in his statements, after the meeting. 'We are ready for negotiations to begin even tomorrow, within the agreed framework from where they have been interrupted', he said. 'What matters', he noted, 'is that we are all bound by the UN Security Council resolutions'. Asked if Holguin has discussed the methodology she will follow from now on in order to get the discussion on a more substantial basis, Letymbiotis said that this discussion has taken place and noted that the UNSG personal envoy is to also hold other meetings this week, which she considers to be useful, as she has mentioned. Letymbiotis also said that they knew from the beginning, 'the difficulties and challenges we would face in this effort', adding that the public positions were known. 'At the same time, however, we are faithful to and insist on the resumption of negotiations within the agreed framework', he added. Asked if Holguin has conveyed any prodding on behalf of the guarantor powers, the Spokesperson said that there have been no proddings. 'What she has conveyed to us, is Athen's declared support for our efforts for the restart of the negotiations within the agreed framework', he said, noting that, other than the public positions expressed from London, Holguin has not conveyed anything. Earlier in the day, Holguin met with the Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The l atest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. In January UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed Holguin as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue. Source: Cyprus News Agency

The President of the House of Representatives Annita Demetriou is in London to attend events celebrating Commonwealth Day and 75 years of the organisation, including a summit hosted by her UK counterpart. On Monday morning she attends the Commonwealth Day flag-raising ceremony at the Palace of Westminster, before travelling with other official to the Commonwealth Memorial Gates of central London to lay a wreath. On return to the Parliament, Demetriou will attend a lunch hosted by the Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle. The visiting parliamentarians will then attend the Commonwealth Day Service of Celebration at Westminster Abbey, in the presence of Queen Camilla. On Monday afternoon she will see a conversation on the Commonwealth among the heads of the National Assemblies represented. During the one-minute remarks afforded President Demetriou is expected to highlight the need but also the ability of the Commonwealth to respond effectively to the many crises unfolding in a world 'in turmoil' . 'There is great strength and vast potential emanating from the diverse and multicultural character of the Commonwealth,' she will say. The day will conclude with a Commonwealth Day Reception hosted by the Commonwealth Secretariat at Marlborough House, the organisation's headquarters in London. President Demetriou will be accompanied by the High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus to the UK Andreas Kakouris. She will return to Cyprus on Tuesday. Over the weekend Demetriou attended a dinner at the Palace of Westminster organised for his visiting counterparts by the British Speaker. There was also a family photo in the House of Commons chamber. She had the opportunity to also hold a bilateral meeting with the Canadian Speaker. Source: Cyprus News Agency

President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides had a telephone conversation with the President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed on Monday evening. According to a written statement by Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis, during the telephone call President Christodoulides expressed gratitude to the Sheikh for the UAE's support to the Republic of Cyprus' initiative "Amalthea" to create a maritime corridor to provide additional humanitarian aid to the civilian population in Gaza. "The contribution of the UAE and personally of the Sheikh himself through the support of the initiative and also through the assistance of humanitarian aid was catalytic in terms of the implementation of the initiative" the Spokesman notes in his statement. At the same time, the President of the Republic informed the Sheikh about the intensive preparations for providing additional flow of humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Gaza through the sea corridor, as an option that comes in addition t o the existing and future land passages. He also conveyed gratitude to UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan for the close cooperation and to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the UAE Reem Al Hashimy for her personal involvement and decisive efforts, with which the Republic of Cyprus is in constant coordination for the next steps to increase the aid to be sent. Finally, the President of the Republic extended to the Sheikh an invitation to welcome him to Cyprus. Source: Cyprus News Agency

The European Parliament Plenary sits in Strasbourg this week to discuss and vote on legislation regarding the use of artificial intelligence (AI), building energy performance, single application procedure for work and residence permits for third -country nationals in the EU, as well as Media freedom in the EU. The situation in Ukraine and Gaza will also be discussed at the EP Plenary session on Tuesday morning, during the preparation for the European Council Summit on March 21-22, with a statement by the President European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. In addition, the plenary will also address the immediate risk of mass starvation in Gaza and the attacks on humanitarian aid deliveries. The European Media Freedom Act will be discussed on Tuesday. The EP aims to prevent governments from searching journalists, using spyware to monitor them, and even detain them, as mentioned during the Media briefing on Monday. Also, the Act will make it harder to turn media outlets into propaganda channels. It will also be harder for Social Media platforms to delete independent news reporting, simply because they don't like it. The Act for the artificial intelligence (AI) was mentioned as 'perhaps the most important' issue that the Plenary will vote on during this session. The aim is to safeguard the reliability, the security and the respect of fundamental rights, when using AI tools, but also to promote the support of innovation. On Tuesday, the Plenary will vote on the legislation regarding the energy performance of buildings. The legislation for a single application procedure for a single permit for third-country nationals to reside and work in the territory of a Member State and on a common set of rights for third-country workers legally residing in a Member State, will be discussed on Tuesday and the voting will take place on Wednesday. Also, on Tuesday, a ceremonial session will pay tribute to the International Women's Day celebration. The focus will be on women athletes this year, so the Plenary will be hosting two women footballers from the national Spanish women's football team, to address the session. The Plenary will also discuss the urgent need to reduce waste, particularly food and textile waste. As mentioned during the Media briefing, food waste sums up to 60 mln tons per year (1.3 kg/person) and the goal it to reduce it by 20% in food processing and by 40% per capita in restaurants and households. As for textile waste, it sums up to 2.6 mln tons per year, of which only 1% is being recycled into new products. The aim is to cover the cost for the collection and the recycling of these products, which may come from clothing, footwear, accessories, blankets, bed linen and even carpets. Finally, the Plenary will also discuss address the promised revision of the EU animal welfare legislation and the animal welfare-related European citizens' initiatives. Source: Cyprus News Agency

It is only a matter of time, Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Monday, as regards the departure from Cyprus of a ship loaded with humanitarian aid for Gaza's civilian population. In his statements to journalists at the Presidential Palace, and asked about developments regarding a ship that will carry humanitarian aid to Gaza, Letymbiotis said that it was only 'a matter of time until the ship departs'. He noted that the positive thing is that checks have been carried out in accordance with all the protocols included in the planning of the initiative. There have been some practical issues which seem to have been resolved, he said. Letymbiotis said that the complexity of this initiative required due diligence and due care, so that, the vessel could depart and its cargo could safely reach the civilian population of Gaza. He was referring to the Government's initiative for the creation of a maritime corridor for the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza through Cyprus. A ship of non-governm ental organisation 'Open Arms', is docked at the Larnaca port in Cyprus loaded with around 150 tons of dry food, water and medical supplies, and is waiting to depart for Gaza. NGO World Central Kitchen said on 'X' that that their team was working with 'Open Arms', the United Arab Emirates and Cyprus, to send food by sea to Gaza. According to information CNA has obtained, the delay was mainly due to technical reasons and more specifically, to the fact that the docking platform in Gaza was not yet ready, while the situation was to be reassessed on Tuesday as regards the ship's departure. Source: Cyprus News Agency

Through dialogue, decisions can be reached on complex issues, and this was confirmed by the 27 member states through the adoption of a directive on improving conditions for digital platform workers, Minister of Labour, Yiannis Panayiotou, said after the conclusion of the EU Employment and Social Policy Council (EPSCO), which took place in Brussels on Monday. "After long consultations we agreed on the adoption of a Directive to better regulate labour rights of workers on digital platforms, during which Cyprus had a positive attitude from the beginning, and we confirmed that through dialogue we can agree and reach commonly accepted decisions on complex issues," he said. Panayiotou also had a joint meeting with the Polish Minister of Family, Labour and Social Policy, Agnieszka Dziemianowicz-Bak and the Danish Minister for Employment, Ane Halsboe-Jørgensen, to discuss the coordination of the upcoming Council Presidencies of the three countries, on January 2025 (Poland), July 2025 (Denmark) and January 2026 (Cyp rus). It was "a very productive preparatory meeting, where we found that we have common approaches and share the same willingness for constructive cooperation", Panayiotou said in a statement. The Cypriot Minister also had a bilateral meeting with the new Greek Minister of Labour and Social Affairs, Domna Michailidou, with the two focusing on 'the use of technology to better control the labour market and improve the response to the requests of our citizens regarding the payment of the shared pensions." On Tuesday, Panayiotou will represent Cyprus at a joint meeting of the ECOFIN and EPSCO Councils, which will focus on social investments and reforms for resilient economies. Source: Cyprus News Agency