European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans, Costas Kadis, and the Minister of the Interior, Constantinos Ioannou, discussed the main directions of the European Union Strategy for Coastal Communities, during a meeting in Nicosia.
According to a press release issued by the Interior Ministry, during the 6 May meeting, the Minister underlined the importance of an integrated and coherent European approach that takes into account the particular needs of coastal and island communities, such as Cyprus, emphasising sustainable development, resilience strengthening and the improvement of citizens' quality of life.
Also, special emphasis was placed on the need to strengthen the economic competitiveness of coastal areas, through the promotion of the blue economy, innovation and access to financing, as well as on the importance of diversifying local economies.
The two officials also discussed measures to strengthen resilience against the impacts of climate change, including coastal protection and the adaptation of communities to environmental and socio-economic challenges. The importance of developing a common strategic framework at the European Union level was also discussed.
Ioannou reaffirmed the commitment of the Republic of Cyprus to actively contribute to the drafting of the new Strategy, underlining the importance of close cooperation with the European Commission and the member states for the effective support of coastal communities, the press release said.
It added that on his part, the European Commissioner noted the importance of the initiative for strengthening cohesion and sustainable development in Europe's coastal regions, pointing out that the new strategy will contribute to the creation of a more coordinated and efficient policy framework.
(Source: CNA)
