The President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides has met with the Executive Committee of the Employers & Industrialists Federation (OEB).
Welcoming the members of the Committee at the start of the meeting at the Presidential Palace, President Christodoulides said that "it is always with great pleasure that I meet you. As I have repeatedly stated publicly, our Government clearly approaches you as partners, as fellow travelers in the great effort we are making to change our country, to modernise the state of the '60s, to moderniae it through continuous and bold reforms, such as, for example, the tax reform."
By reducing taxation, he added, "we have boosted disposable income for both households and, of course, for our businesses."
He added that another very important reform is currently underway, the pension reform, underlining that "our goal is twofold, to achieve more decent pensions today, but also a sustainable Social Insurance Fund for tomorrow." Christodoulides pointed out that the pension system had not been reformed since the 1980s.
"I am delighted because just last week the Statistical Service (CySTAT) confirmed the best performance for the labour market in our country. In fact, it is the best performance since 1999, when the Labour Force Survey was conducted. Employment hit a historic high and unemployment fell to levels that reached 2008. We had such low unemployment levels and the most encouraging thing for us is that unemployment among young people is significantly decreasing, which is a goal we have," President Christodoulides underlined.
And with these data, combined with the economic growth trajectory, he further emphasised, "we estimate that in 2026 our country's growth rate will be approximately 3.5%, perhaps among the highest in the Eurozone, at a time when we have a war in our immediate neighbourhood, at a time when Europe's strong economies are being tested."
"And all of this is a result of our responsible economic policy, our multi-level foreign policy, our reform plan. And of course it is a result of your own work, of Cypriot businesses, of Cypriot entrepreneurship, and I want to take this opportunity to congratulate you and thank you because Cypriot businesses, your members, contribute decisively to the progress and development of our country," he stressed.
"For us, and I am sure that you embrace this approach to our political philosophy, to social liberalism, it is important that this development is transferred to society, that we return the benefit of development to our society, that is why we support families, we strengthen disposable income, we improve the everyday life of citizens and we can invest in Education, Health, Housing, and the Welfare State," Christodoulides further pointed out.
In the immediate future, he concluded, "we will proceed with other important interventions in the direction I mentioned above and with these I repeat my thanks on behalf of the Government in practice", reiterating that "we approach you as partners. I look forward to our discussion on very important issues that concern you and us, that concern Cypriot society."
(Source: InBusinessNews)
