‘Nicosia joins map of innovative European cities’

The capital of Cyprus joined the map of innovative European cities, following the direction for smart and sustainable cities, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Monday, at the inauguration of the project “Development of Smart City Infrastructure and Systems” of Nicosia Municipality, in the framework of “THALIA 2021-2027” project.

He said that Cyprus, due to its size, can achieve the goal of a green and digital Europe much faster than other EU member states, adding that Nicosia, being a pioneer, has already implemented a series of effective smart solutions for the residents of the capital through the co-financed “THALIA 2021-2027” project.

The president said that so far, the city has drawn an amount of €6.5 million, for the transformation of Nicosia into a smart city.

He said that the project includes the creation of infrastructure for the development of various smart systems that will benefit the city and its residents.

Regarding the digital reforms the president said that with funding of €35 million from the Recovery and Resilience Plan, the creation of “smart cities” is one of the main pillars to achieve the necessary technological development of the island and the promotion of electronic governance.

The president also recalled that a competition is up and running for the creation of a “smart city platform” which includes, in the first phase, the implementation of three projects namely smart parking, smart lighting and smart dog management.

He also noted that technology offers incredible possibilities and urban planning can always be transformed for the benefit of the citizens.