Minister of the Interior Constantinos Ioannou will present the priorities of the Cyprus Presidency of the EU Council on housing, within the framework of the Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council (EPSCO), in Brussels, on Monday, 1 December.
The Interior Minister will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts, the Ministers of Housing of Denmark and Spain, Sophie Hæstorp Andersen and Isabel Rodríguez García, respectively, as well as with the Chair of the European Parliament's HOUS Committee, Irene Tinagli, and the Director-General of the General Secretariat of the Council of the EU, David Brozina, a Ministry press release says here today.
During his meetings, Ioannou is expected to refer to the need to define a roadmap for the implementation of the European Affordable Housing Plan, the results of which will be presented by the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU within the framework of EPSCO, the press release adds.
In addition, the Minister of Interior will have the opportunity to exchange views with his interlocutors on the prospect of establishing a flexible European funding mechanism for affordable housing projects, which will take into account the specificities of all Member States, especially the smaller ones.
On the sidelines of his visit to the Belgian capital, Ioannou will also meet with the Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management, Hadja Lahbib, with whom he is expected to discuss issues related to civil protection, with an emphasis on efforts to strengthen response mechanisms and enhance the EU's resilience in emergency situations, the press release concludes.
(Source: CNA)
