Nicosia, Cyprus. Europe must move beyond regulation and become a builder, deployer and scaler of critical technologies, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Nicodemos Damianou said at a digital conference in Nicosia. At the same time, Deputy Tourism Minister Kostas Koumis said Cyprus’ tourism sector was returning to a more stable path after a difficult spring, as May arrivals showed signs of recovery.
Call for stronger European technology role
Speaking at the opening of the ‘Shaping the Next Digital Frontier’ conference in Nicosia on Tuesday, organised in the context of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union, Damianou said Europe could no longer afford to rely on technologies developed elsewhere and needed to compete on innovation, investment, speed and scale.
“Europe cannot afford to be merely a regulator of technologies developed elsewhere,” Damianou said.
“We must be a builder, a deployer, and a scaler of critical technologies,” he added.
Panay highlights speed, connectivity and usability
Speaking on Wednesday during a fireside chat at the same conference, Amazon senior vice president for devices, Alexa and Leo Panos Panay said Europe and Cyprus must prioritise speed, connectivity and human ingenuity to turn technological innovation into real-world impact in the age of artificial intelligence.
Panay said successful technology depends on making people’s lives easier rather than simply introducing novelty.
The discussion, held as part of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union, was moderated by Republic of Cyprus chief scientist and Research and Innovation Foundation chairman Demetris Skourides.
Panay, who oversees products including Alexa, Kindle, Fire TV, Ring cameras, Amazon Leo and other emerging technologies, said building products at scale while preserving a personal touch remained a difficult balancing act.
Tourism arrivals recover in May
Koumis said on Wednesday that Cyprus’ tourism sector was returning to a more stable path after a difficult spring.
According to the latest figures from the Statistical Service (Cystat), tourist arrivals in May reached about 455,000, a 4.9 per cent decrease compared with May 2025, but an 8.1 per cent increase compared with May 2024.