Cyprus must complete all agreed milestones under its Recovery and Resilience Plan by the end of August, EU Commissioner for Economy and Productivity Valdis Dombrovskis has said, noting that now is the time for the final push to ensure Cyprus can access all available funding.
In remarks after visiting healthcare-related projects at the Nicosia General Hospital, funded through the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF), accompanied by Cyprus' Finance and Health Ministers on 23 May, Dombrovskis said that given its scale, “we often talk about the RRF in the abstract, in terms of milestones and targets”. “But here at Nicosia General Hospital, we can see its real impact and how it is delivering tangible improvements in people’s daily lives”, he noted.
Thanks to over €2 million in support under the RRF, he said, the hospital’s invasive radiology unit has been extended and upgraded. “This means patients can access more advanced procedures, faster diagnoses, and higher-quality care”, the Commissioner said.
He added that the RRF has also provided over €1 million for the installation of solar panels that enable the hospital to fully cover its electricity needs, while over €6 million in RRF funding supported the construction of a new Blood Donation Centre in Geri, noting that this will grant people access to advanced screening methods and medical technologies.
“These are the kind of projects that represent what the Recovery and Resilience Facility is all about: delivering real benefits for citizens across Europe”, Dombrovskis said, adding that this project “is a clear example of the difference the RRF is making across Europe”.
The Commissioner noted that the impact of the RRF in Cyprus goes well beyond healthcare, adding that it has also supported the implementation of important reforms across a wide range of areas, such as new laws on the transparency of decision-making and on the protection of whistleblowers and the digitalisation of public administration and health records.
“These reforms matter because they strengthen institutions, improve services, and help build a more modern and resilient economy”, he said, stressing however that there was “still important work ahead”.
He noted that the RFF has made almost €600 billion available to finance investments and reforms across Europe, and just over €1 billion available for Cyprus.
Cyprus, he said, must complete all agreed milestones under its Recovery and Resilience Plan by the end of August. “So, now is the time for the final push to ensure Cyprus can access all available funding”, he said, noting that, in the months ahead, “Cyprus must remain fully focused on implementation”. That is the only way to ensure that the RRF lives up to its full potential and delivers a lasting positive impact for Cyprus and its citizens, the Commissioner said.
Health Minister Neophytos Charalambides, referred, in his speech, to the implementation of projects in the health sector financed by the country’s Recovery and Resilience Plan.
He said that Cyprus, after the COVID-19 pandemic, chose not merely to recover, but to transform, advancing targeted reforms and strategic investments “that are already delivering tangible improvements in the quality, accessibility, and responsiveness of healthcare services”.
One of the most important reforms, he said, was the establishment of the National Centre for Clinical Evidence and Quality Improvement, “a key instrument for promoting consistent, evidence-based care across all levels of the healthcare system, while enhancing patient outcomes, safety, and efficiency”.
He also said that digital transformation remains a key priority and that projects such as the Cyprus Innovative Public Health ICT System and the national platform for monitoring antibiotic use, with a combined budget of €6.1 million, strengthen public health monitoring, support evidence-based decision-making, and enhance system resilience. In addition, he said, through a €1.94 million RRF investment, Cyprus actively participates in Cross-Border eHealth Services, “ensuring secure and seamless healthcare data exchange across the European Union”.
“We have also taken important steps to improve quality and efficiency through RRF,” the Minister said. “The introduction of value-based healthcare models, together with targeted grant schemes for hospital equipment upgrades and accreditation, is supporting both public and private healthcare providers in delivering higher-quality, more patient-centred care, while promoting better clinical outcomes and more efficient use of resources,” he added. Already, he said, 23 agreements have been signed under the equipment scheme (€5 million), while approximately 30 institutions are expected to benefit from €1.65 million in accreditation funding by June 2026.
Further investments include the modernisation of the Cyprus Blood Establishment (€6.16 million from RRF) aimed at strengthening the safety, quality, and sustainability of blood services, as well as the development of an innovative Blockchain Platform for Food Traceability, enhancing transparency, consumer protection, and the monitoring of food products across the supply chain, the Health Minister noted.
At the same time, he added, significant progress has been made in upgrading public hospitals, including 12 major construction projects with a total value of approximately €58 million, energy efficiency upgrades at Nicosia General Hospital of €1.3m. and the procurement of medical equipment amounting to approximately €29.4 million.
Concluding, Charalambides assured that the Ministry of Health remained fully committed to delivering these reforms for the benefit of all citizens and in support of a stronger, more resilient, and more autonomous European Health Union.
Cyprus’ Finance Minister Makis Keravnos said, in his remarks, that a final amendment proposal of the RRP will be submitted at the end of May.
He thanked the Commission Services “for the excellent cooperation” and Commissioner Dombrovskis for their efforts to resolve any remaining issues in the implementation of the Cyprus Plan. He also thanked the State Health Organization and all competent authorities that have made possible the effective implementation of the RRF in Cyprus.
(Source: CNA)
