Cyprus is being recognised as a model of effective cooperation between the state and the business community — a key pillar underpinning the economy’s positive performance — by the leadership of BusinessEurope, Europe’s largest business organisation, according to a written statement by the President of the Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation (OEB), Giorgos Pantelidis.
Pantelidis took part on Thursday, 5 February, in his capacity as Vice-President of BusinessEurope, alongside the organisation’s president and senior leadership, in a working dinner with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The main focus of the discussion was the strategy for strengthening the competitiveness of European businesses. Leaders of the European business community stressed the need for speed and decisiveness in implementing the action plan, warning that without tangible results by 2026, the European economy risks losing further ground.
Particular emphasis was placed on the urgent need to move from political declarations to concrete outcomes — a transition described as “From Ambition to Delivery” — a demand that, it was noted, has long been highlighted by Europe’s business sector.
Strong macroeconomic results
Within this framework, BusinessEurope has identified five key policy pillars regarded as critical for 2026. First, it is calling for a substantial deepening of the single market and a significant reduction in regulatory burdens, aimed at removing obstacles to cross-border activity. Second, it highlights the need to reduce energy prices and establish a sustainable business framework for decarbonisation, noting that Europe’s energy cost gap compared with major non-EU competitors constitutes a serious disadvantage.
The third pillar concerns the management of geopolitical risks and ensuring access to markets and raw materials, with an emphasis on diversifying trade relations and striking a balance between economic security and open trade. At the same time, the need to boost investment and innovation is underlined as fundamental to enabling Europe to become a technological leader. Finally, BusinessEurope is calling for social policy to be oriented towards flexible, non-legislative solutions that enhance both productivity and social cohesion.
Of particular significance for Cyprus is the recognition of the effective functioning of the cooperation framework between the Cypriot government and the business community. This is seen as a decisive factor in risk management, the positive performance of the Cypriot economy, and the achievement of strong macroeconomic results.
As noted, BusinessEurope’s leadership had the opportunity to study and verify the effectiveness of this cooperation in practice during the Summit of Presidents of member organisations from 35 European countries, hosted by OEB in Nicosia last November.