ESIS Extension / Cyprus / IS Promotional Activities / Master Report

Since 1987, the government of Cyprus has officially declared its decision to bring about drastic changes in the public sector administration by fully utilizing information technology. Towards this end, the "Government Computerization Plan", later known as the "Government’s Information Systems Strategy" was initiated. More details about the said plan will be supplied at a later stage because of the unavailability of information at present.

At a government level, despite the fact that all ministries have already developed their own web site, only few of them are currently actively involved in IS matters and in their promotion these being principally, the ministry of Communications and Works and the ministry of Finance.

The Cyprus Planning Bureau, a former independent organisation established by the state and currently a department of the ministry of Finance is the central coordination agency for the promotion of the information society and for the formulation of strategies and action plans. The latter are usually realized in the form of seminars and conferences held at a national level and organized / sponsored in association with other bodies.

In fact, other than the Cyprus Planning Bureau, the bulk of the IS promotional activities are undertaken by the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority, the Research Promotion Foundation which is an independent, non-profit organisation, the Department of Information Technology Services (ministry of Finance), the Cyprus Computer Society and the University of Cyprus.

With regards to Cyprus’ accession to the EU, the negotiations committee headed by the Chief Negotiator Mr. G. Vasiliou, former president of the Republic of Cyprus, has developed a web page (www.cyprus-eu.org.cy) which contains information about the background of the matter, as well as news and developments.

The University of Cyprus through its Department of Computer Science is actively involved in IS promotional activities. The most profound example of their involvement and dedication being the organisation of the Euro-med net ’98 conference which was held in Nicosia in March 1998 and which attracted participants from the EU and from most countries of the region.

In contrast to the above, certain semi-government organisations which are either involved or contemplate undertaking an IS project promote it only within the narrow boundaries of their own organisation, usually in the form of casual presentations.

Financial institutions (commercial banks) are the only private organisations which were found to be involved in the development of information society programs. These programs which are described in more detail in the Estimate report aim principally at the enhancement of the bilateral communication between the banks and their clientele. These institutions advertise heavily in all media (TV mainly, and press secondly) their relevant programs, these promotional activities ultimately aiming at increasing their market shares.

Finally, the role of primarily the press and of the media in general, is minor, since it is limited to circumstantial publications of relevant articles in selected newspapers.

In the framework of the "Government’s Information Systems Strategy ", a master project called the "Government Data Network" is being designed aimed at providing a Wide Area Network capability to link all Government buildings in Cyprus for the uninterrupted and efficient exchange of information. A technical strategy study defining the requirements of the GDN was completed in September 1995. The Cyprus Telecommunications Authority submitted a proposal for the provision of the GDN which was approved in June 1998. The contract for hardware and services was awarded by CYTA in April 1999 and the project is currently in its implementation phase, with the completion date estimated to be in the first quarter of 2000.

On a governmental level, there is an on-going national campaign realized in the form of TV advertisements regarding the issue of the compliance with the year 2000. In this respect, all enterprises are invited to seek and are offered technical assistance (in the form of advice) from a committee composed of representatives from the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority, the Information Services Department of the ministry of Finance, the Institute of Technology, commercial banks, the Cyprus Airways and the Chamber of Commerce.

On a ministerial level, the secondary education has introduced a personal computer class as an elective in the 6^th year, based on a decree of the House of Representatives. Towards this end, many secondary schools have acquired personal computers and now have access to the Internet. Furthermore, there is an increasing trend to boost the significance of the said class by offering it in the 4^th and the 5^th years as well.

The significance attributed to the introduction of the concept of information technology in the secondary education of Cyprus was highlighted in the previous section. It is indicative to mention that towards this end, the state encourages and funds training sessions especially designed for teachers and educators.

By the same token, the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority (CY.T.A.) has established an Internet service provider company (CYTANET) which currently enjoys the biggest market share, and which provides its services to all the government departments and the semi-government organisations.

Finally, the IS initiative of the Institute of Agriculture Research towards the creation of electronic libraries for use by the employees of the ministry of agriculture during a first stage, and ultimately by all interested parties should not go amiss.

The following document outlines the promotional activities identified so far. A short description of each activity is firstly given, and then all the available details are summarized in the table that follows.

The organisation of the EURO-MED NET’98 Conference was held in Nicosia, Cyprus between March 4 and March 7 1998. This conference attracted an unusually large number of participants from most countries in the region including official delegations. During the conference the formation of a Mediterranean Information Society was decided, which in turn yielded the launching of the EUMEDIS program and the extension of ESIS to the Mediterranean countries

General information-providing seminar held in Nicosia. Organized and sponsored by CY.T.A. Aimed at explaining the regulatory environment and the forthcoming liberalization of the telecommunications sector in Cyprus. The audience included CY.T.A. employees, academics, and other interested individuals and organisations.

4.3 Liberalization and regulation of Telecommunications and the need for preparation

A seminar organized and sponsored by CY.T.A. quite similar in nature and target to the above.

A 3-day general information-providing seminar held in Nicosia, organized and co-sponsored by CY.T.A. The issue of harmonization of Cyprus with the EU acquis was presented and discussed.

4.5 Fifth Framework Program for Research and Technological Developments and Demonstration Activities

Organized and co-sponsored by CY.T.A., this was a two-day seminar held in Nicosia on the Fifth Framework, and the Cyprus relevant involvement.

Realized in the form of a series of seminars held in Nicosia during the first 6 months of 1999, this program aimed at providing interested parties with information on the legislation of the European Union on competition issues in the context of the influence it bears on the telecommunications environment in Cyprus.

The Research Promotion Foundation launches this scheme for financing research programs on an annual basis. It covers a wide range of topics, one of which is information technology. The topics are re-defined every year, according to the needs of the economy. The submitted research proposals are evaluated and the best are funded.

4.8 Two-day seminar on the 5^th Framework Program for research, technological development and demonstration activities.

The Research Promotion Foundation is responsible for the promotion of the 5^th Framework Program. In this context, it organized a 2-day seminar to inform interested parties about the terms and conditions of the program. The seminar aimed at increasing awareness for both the entire program and the Thematic Program user-friendly Information Technology. Officials from the EC and EU advisors from Germany and Greece were among the speakers.

Please note that this report has been prepared under the sole responsibility of the ESIS II contractors.
It does not necessarily reflect the views of the Commision, nor does the Commission accept responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of information contained herein.
The ESIS Team of contractors welcomes any additional information or corrections.