Digital Agenda Summit highlights Cyprus’ shift to smart governance

Cyprus is pushing ahead with a new model of governance that puts people, trust and innovation at its core, Deputy Minister to the President Irene Piki said on Thursday, opening the Digital Agenda Cyprus Summit 2025 in Nicosia. 

She said the government is modernising institutions, simplifying procedures and embedding accountability in daily decision-making, in an effort to make governance more efficient and ensure citizens feel that change is real. 

“When people hear the phrase ‘digital transformation’, they often think of technology, algorithms and artificial intelligence,” she said, noting that, “for her, it is about people”.

She cited several examples, including “a citizen trying to renew a permit, a small business owner applying for a licence, or a parent enrolling their child in school online”.

These, she explained, are signs of a country that is “efficient, transparent, fair and results-oriented”.

Such change, she added, “does not happen by accident” but because the government has “chosen to redefine governance for the 21st century, placing people, trust and innovation at the heart of every reform”.

“Through the new secretariat for coordination and support of the government project at the presidency, every initiative is now monitored, measured and digitally connected,” she said.

Moreover, Piki said the online platform diakivernisi.gov.cy allows citizens to see what has been implemented and what is still in progress, while also offering them the opportunity to submit ideas and comments directly to the government, “a simple but powerful tool that transforms participation and dialogue into better decisions.” 

Describing 2025 as “the year of digital transformation,” she said the government’s efforts are focused on cutting bureaucracy, strengthening competitiveness and promoting transparency.  

“Under the leadership of the Deputy Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, President Christodoulides’ vision,” she added, “is being turned into daily action, from cybersecurity and data governance to digital skills, modern infrastructure and the seamless operation of public services.”

For Piki, “digital transformation forms part of a wider process, that of a state learning to reform”.

In this context, she pointed to initiatives such as the new Business Support Centre, which serves as a single point of contact for investors and businesses, and the ongoing tax reform designed to enhance transparency and competitiveness.  

She also mentioned the fast-track licensing system, which issues building permits in weeks instead of months, and the creation of a special sanctions unit to protect the integrity of the economy.  

These, she said, are “steps toward making Cyprus a country where governance works, businesses thrive and citizens genuinely feel that change is happening”.

At the same time, she also referred to the ‘Minds in Cyprus’ initiative, which invites Cypriots abroad and international experts to bring their knowledge and creativity back to their homeland. 

Meanwhile, Piki said that “Cyprus is increasingly appearing on the radar of global technology leaders”, referencing President Christodoulides’ visit to the United States last April.

“From New York to Houston and Silicon Valley, the goal was clear, to bring cutting-edge technology, investment and know-how to Cyprus while connecting our local talent and research centres with international networks,” she said.

“The future is not built in isolation; it is built through collaboration, reliability and trust,” she added.

She also mentioned that as Cyprus prepares to take over the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU on January 1, 2026, “the country will work to advance Europe’s digital agenda, promoting innovation that serves citizens, strengthens trust and protects human rights”.

“We will focus on ensuring that Europe’s digital policies move from vision to implementation,” she said, “that technology works for citizens and not the other way around.” 

Piki further stated that transformation may be about technology, “but at its core it is mostly about trust, about proving that government can change, that the public service can be flexible and that citizens can believe again.”

“Because good governance is the best innovation of all,” she added.

On his part, former Deputy Minister for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy and member of the conference organising committee, Kyriakos Kokkinos, said the Digital Agenda Summit brought together 38 speakers from Cyprus and abroad, with a record 1,500 participants this year.

“The goal of this conference, as every year, is to open a window into knowledge, to put Cyprus on the map of knowledge and to transform information into wisdom,” he said, describing the approach as one of positivism. 

He said Cyprus is a place with “enormous intellectual capital, human capabilities and potential,” ranking high in European innovation indexes, with the technology sector contributing almost 15 per cent of GDP. 

This year’s theme, ‘Beyond Artificial Intelligence’, he said, is a human-centred discussion rather than one about technology. “Technology is not against humanity,” he said. “It is technology for humanity.” 

Kokkinos explained that “the aim is to show how innovation and technology serve people, not replace them”.

“We want to talk about smarter innovation, the ethical aspects of artificial intelligence and how technology creates competitiveness for states and for Europe,” he said.

“But above all, we want to talk about progress with a clear sense of purpose,” he added.

He also emphasised that the arts, humanities and social sciences matter more than ever.

“Without balancing the rapid pace of technological development with the thoughts of social sciences and humanities, it would be impossible for us to cope,” he stated.

“We must be proud of our country,” he added. “We are strong innovators, and we have intellectual and human capital of great value.”

“We’re a small country but we can do it. We just need to think positively. And that’s what you’ll see today, this is the Cyprus we are proud of,” he concluded.