The House Legal committee is determined to press ahead with finalising a bill to protect families’ primary residence, placing the bill’s estimated date of submission to a plenary vote around the end of March.

Unemployment is expected to reach 19% this year and long-term unemployment is considered the biggest risk factor in returning to employment, according to recent Finance ministry data.

A wide range of issues relating to the energy sector, and the role of Cyprus within it, will be the focus of the 3rd Cyprus Energy Symposium, which will take place on March 27-28 in Nicosia.

Red tape costs Cyprus €1bn a year, it emerged recently and members of parliament expect it to be reduced through electronic governance.

Cyprus’ Integrated Maritime Policy (IMP) aims at full utilization and sustainable development of its seas and recognises 'Blue Growth' as a basic pillar of revitalizing the Cyprus economy, says Communications and Works Minister.

As of the beginning of the year, Cyprus entered into five new Double Tax Treaties (DTT’s) with Estonia, Finland, Portugal, Spain and Ukraine expanding its already rich list of DTTs.

The Industrial Output Prices Index for January 2014 recorded a decrease in Cyprus, as well as in the Eurozone and the EU, according to Eurostat.

Minister ofFinance Harris Georgiades says that the approval by the House plenary of a privatisations bill opens the way to modernisation and reform.

Cyprus maintains that the particular characteristics of island states should be taken into consideration by the EU in the context of policies on climate change and energy costs.

The Troika of international lenders has radically altered the memorandum so that the 130,000 title deeds backlog will no longer be required to be cleared by Q4 this year, as had originally been planned.