Press Releases

The Civil Registry and Migration Department of the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Cyprus, as the European Migration Network National Contact Point, is organizing the ΕΜΝ Αnnual National Conference 2020 on “The role of local authorities in the integration of migrants and refugees”. The conference will have the form of an online discussion, which will take place on Friday, June 26 at 10.00 am (Cyprus time). The conference will be held in Greek, with English interpretation.

This year's conference is related to the integration of migrants and refugees and more specifically the role of local authorities. This is a very hot issue in Cyprus, as the first draft of the National Action Plan for Integration of Migrants 2020-2022 will be ready and under public consultation at the end of June. It is expected that the local authorities will have a significant role to play in the implementation of this action plan. Furthermore, the reform of the law governing the local authorities is underway and therefore, there is a more general discussion of the role of local authorities in the Cypriot society. Lastly, the conference will contribute at a european level to the existing debate on the integration of migrants, related also to the future Commission initiative on integration and inclusion to be adopted at the end of this year.

The conference’s panelists will be:

• Mr Konstantinos Giorkatzis, Mayor of Lefkosia Municipality

• Mr Nikos Nikolaidis, Mayor of Lemesos Municipality

• Mr Andreas Vyras, Mayor of Larnaka Municipality and President of the Union of Municipalities

• Mrs Melina Daskalaki, Municipal Counsellor for Support and Social Integration of Immigrants and Refugees of the Municipality of Athens

• Moderator: Mrs Despina Kochliou, Lecturer at the University of Nicosia

To register for the conference, visit the CRMD’s webpage www.moi.gov.cy/crmd

(EK/II)