On the 15th April 2025 Cyprus hosted the 15th Nicosia Economic Congress – a major regional forum focused on long-term growth strategies, institutional reform, and regional competitiveness. The event brought together senior officials, policy advisors, and private-sector leaders to examine Cyprus’s future role across Europe and the broader region. President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, during his speech at the Congress, outlined key national goals around digital transformation, energy transition, and talent retention. He highlighted Cyprus’s plans to collaborate with global technology leaders and introduced the “Brain Gain” initiative aimed at reversing workforce outflow.
This year’s agenda reflected a wide set of priorities, structured around key themes:

Energy transition

Government representatives outlined a three-pillar energy policy focused on security, affordability, and green transformation. The private sector underscored the importance of energy cost reduction to support business growth and competitiveness.

Dr. Chryso Sotiriou Moderates High-Level Panel on Energy Transition, with the aim of outlining the current state of the Cypriot energy transition and presenting its future prospects.

We are proud to share that Dr. Chryso Sotiriou served as the moderator of the session on Energy Transition. The session brought together a distinguished panel of experts and key stakeholders from government, industry, and academia, who shared their perspectives on Cyprus’s evolving energy landscape and the path toward a sustainable future.

Panel Members included:

• Giorgos Papanastasiou, Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry
• Angela Andreou, Energy Supervisor, EKO Cyprus Limited
• Florentia Zorpa, Business Development Manager, Zorpas Group
• Alexandros Charalambides, Associate Professor, Cyprus University of Technology

Under Dr. Sotiriou’s moderation, the discussion addressed current challenges, upcoming initiatives, and opportunities for collaboration in achieving Cyprus’s energy transition goals.

Sustainable finance

Discussions highlighted the growing importance of ESG criteria, with emphasis on adapting financing tools and policy frameworks to meet both environmental goals and market needs.

Digital governance

Institutional transformation was positioned as a national priority. Topics included the need to digitise public services, streamline internal processes, and modernise administrative capabilities.

Tax policy and competitiveness

Cyprus’s standing as a business and investment hub was examined in the context of global tax shifts. Stakeholders discussed how fiscal policy could remain competitive while aligning with international standards.

Labour and skills

Workforce modernisation and skills development were addressed as critical factors in long-term resilience. Participants explored how public and private institutions can better align training and employment frameworks.

Youth leadership and next-generation business

Several sessions focused on how Millennials and Gen Z are shaping new expectations around transparency, innovation, and policy responsiveness – with generational dialogue seen as a factor in long-term policymaking.

Geopolitical positioning

Cyprus’s proximity to three continents was discussed as both a challenge and an opportunity. Sessions addressed how regional complexity informs investment, security cooperation, and foreign policy direction.

Text From https://opiniq.com/news/insights-from-the-15th-nicosia-economic-congress/