Building on the collaboration of the Cyprus Institute with public authorities on topics related to climate change, energy and environmental challenges over the last decade, the Cypriot government assigned to CyI’s Energy Department its scientific support for the implementation of the European Green Deal in Cyprus. Realizing that the increasingly ambitious EU energy and climate policy will have economy-wide impacts and recognizing the need for science-based policy advice for this purpose, the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Cyprus approved the proposal of the Finance Ministry (Directorate General for Growth) to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with CyI for the period 2021-2029, co-funded by the European Structural and Investment Funds.

 

Beyond the Finance Ministry, our scientific support extends to the Ministry of Energy, Commerce and Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, and the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works. The four Ministries have formed a Steering Committee that outlines the specific policy support needs each year and will monitor the project outcomes on a regular basis. In this context, we conduct technoeconomic, cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit and multi-criteria analyses for selecting the most appropriate measures for climate change mitigation; perform socio-economic impact assessments of these measures; and propose a framework to align the national long-term economic strategy with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as foreseen in the European Commission’s Annual Sustainable Growth Strategy.