Press Releases

There is no doubt that the world is on the verge of a revolution. This revolution will not be driven by ideology, or ethnicity or religious beliefs. The new global forces will come in the form of artificial intelligence, Big Data algorithms and bioengineering. It will be a revolution driven by technology, it will affect everyone and it will be massive.

For most of us, talk of the new technological challenge may sound abstract, too technical and remote. And we have actually heard it before, at least since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. In fact, so far, technology has been the single most important force of positive change in our societies and our economies. It has helped pull millions out of severe poverty, it has facilitated communication and exchange, it has raised the standards of health care and has enabled knowledge and reason to steer humanity ahead. Technology and automation has created more jobs that the ones which were made redundant.

But expert opinion converges and is convinced that the new wave of technological progress will be stronger and faster than anyone can imagine.  However, that consensus breaks down when it comes to assessing whether the strides of technology will continue to drive us in a positive direction, or if will spiral out of control and become a force of disruption. Already there is speculation about the impact on the labour market in 20 or 30 years. Will technology keep creating new jobs, as one would hope, or will billions of people become economically redundant, not merely unemployed but unemployable, driven out of the jobs market by machines and algorithms?

And under such circumstances, will the social and political repercussions remain manageable, or are we on the verge of a resurgence of nationalism, entrenchment, and a futile, defensive hostility to open markets and free trade?

Ladies and gentlemen,

I admit I have more questions than answers. In fact I feel that politically and institutionally the world is still not fully prepared to handle this challenge.

This is exactly why I feel that it is imperative that we should intensify the political and social dialogue in an effort to incorporate the technological challenge into a new meaningful, political narrative. In any case, a digital economy goes in hand with a digital society and a digital democracy.

And this is exactly why this initiative of the Democratic Rally is both timely and commendable.

But I would also highlight the importance of the presence of Commissioner Gabriel in this dialogue. Because I strongly believe that the challenges and opportunities which lie ahead, highlight the role and the significance of the EU. It is an illusion that the member-states of the EU will be able to maximize the benefits and opportunities and to minimise the risks, with a go it alone approach. We must work together, at EU level, removing barriers, ensuring access and connectivity, promoting e-society and investing in world-class ICT research and innovation. The new EU budget should be a tool in this direction.

But also at national level, efforts should be stepped-up. Even countries which cannot hope to be leaders in the designing and developing the new technologies, should aim to be at the forefront of using and utilizing the new technologies. This is where I see opportunities for Cyprus.

Having to a large extent surpassed the legacy problems of the past, our policies, here in Cyprus, should now embrace innovation and digital transformation. This is an excellent way to improve our growth model and to broaden the productive base of our economy.  In this effort we shall be relying on the advice and support of our academic, scientific and business community.

In this direction, a new National Council for Research and Innovation has been established recently and the first Chief Scientist of Cyprus has been officially appointed, as it happend an hour ago! And I am delighted that both Prof. Patsalis and Chief Scientist Kyriakos Kokkinos will be participating in the discussion which follows. 

During the year we also aim to establish a post of Deputy Minister for Digital Transformation to head a new, integrated executive department.

We have also taken a joint initiative with the Parliament, bringing in experts from the private sector and academia but also all relevant government agencies, to draft a national strategy for the implementation of blockchain technologies. Our aim is to become one of the first countries to effectively regulate the Blockchain technology and to implement, through the strong collaboration of private and public sector, pilot applications in the public sector as well as the financial sector.

We are also investing significant funds in a number of e-government projects in our public sector ranging from e-justice, e-health, the application of digital signatures, a government ERP system, and a new IT system for the Tax department.

Dear Commissioner,

Dear Averof,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Let me conclude, by reiterating the commitment of our government, but also repeating a call that we should all engage in a substantial consultation, at national and EU level, in order to be ready, in order to effectively prepare our economies and societies, for the new technological challenge which lies ahead of us.

Thank you for your attention.

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