Nicosia, Cyprus. Agriculture Minister Maria Panayiotou told schoolchildren that the European Green Deal is a necessity and that advancing environmental policies is not optional during a visit to Latsia high school. She said the EU’s key challenge is implementing its climate framework to reach climate neutrality by 2050.
Visit to Latsia high school
The ministry said Panayiotou praised education’s role in cultivating environmental awareness and encouraging young people’s active participation, as well as the new generation’s role in shaping a more sustainable future.
It said she held an interactive discussion with students, who raised questions and concerns about climate change, the course of the European Green Deal, and challenges they experience.
EU framework and climate neutrality target
Panayiotou said the EU already has a comprehensive legislative framework to address climate change and its effects, adding that the crucial issue is implementation with the aim of achieving climate neutrality by 2050.
She described the European Green Deal as ambitious but necessary, saying it is not a luxury agenda but a collective obligation towards the present and the future.
Cyprus priorities on recycling and water
Asked about the situation in Cyprus, Panayiotou said the island needs to strengthen its capacity in recycling and address water scarcity.
She said the government’s plan to deal with water scarcity is based on three pillars: developing infrastructure such as desalination, reducing losses in the network, and containing demand through saving water.
European Green Deal goals and EU position
The European Green Deal is an EU policy platform which aims to cut the bloc’s carbon emissions by at least 50 per cent by the end of the decade and achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
The 2050 goal is legally binding. The European Commission has said the deal pushes forward a transition that protects people and the planet while being economically sound and socially fair, adding that it invests in innovation, clean technology, and green infrastructure while ensuring a just transition for communities most affected.
What steps do you think Cyprus should prioritise to improve recycling and address water scarcity?
