A total of 1.35 billion euros have been ear-marked for Cyprus from EU funds for 2014-2020, Head of the EU Representation in Cyprus, Georgios Markopouliotis told a seminar on the EU competitive “Creative Europe” programme, held on Monday at the EU House in Nicosia, with a view to inform citizens and organisations to effectively use funds available by the EU competitive programmes for the period 2014-2020.
Addressing the event, Markopouliotis noted that out of the 1.35 billion, approximately 950 million will be allocated to the real economy. “This money will be given in the form of subsidies, and not loans, and will finance actions aiming to boost growth and employment,” he explained.
Referring to the Investment Plan for Europe, aiming to the allocation of more than 300 billion euros, from public and private funds, during the next years, for investments in the EU, Markopouliotis said that during its first year of operation, the Plan allocated approximately 100 billion euros for investments.
Furthermore he said that it is very courageous that Cyprus has recorded significant fund absorption from the competitive programmes. He said that as Finance Minister Haris Georgiades has noted, during the period 2007-2013 it is estimated that Cypriot organisations and institutions, both from the private and the public sector, absorbed approximately 200 million euros from the competitive programmes.
Furthermore, he said that the Minister has stressed that for the period 2014-2020 the government aims at a significant increase of this amount, to over 300 million euros.
Referring to the “Creative Europe” programme, Markopouliotis said that its budget for the next seven years amounts to 1.46 billion euro and will promote the fields of culture, media and creation, which are important for employment and growth.
Creative Europe is the European Commission framework programme to support culture and audiovisual sectors. It is divided into two sub-programmes, Culture and MEDIA, and is supported by a cross-sectoral strand.
Participants to the seminar heard presentations by Georgia Christofidou, European Programmes Director at the Directorate General for European Programmes, Coordination and Development, the Head of Creative Europe Desk Cyprus and Executive Director of Cyprus Symphony Orchestra Foundation Nenad Bogdanovic, and Georgios Logothetis of the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency.