Republic of Cyprus Second Voluntary National Report - Sustainable development goals

77 Finally, in terms of sustainable transport, in Cyprus, the share of collective transport (buses) modes in total inland passenger transport performance is very low with only 2,44% of commutes using public transport while the majority of commutes uses private cars. Regrettably, the average CO 2 emissions per km from new passenger cars in Cyprus with 123.3 grams of CO 2 per kilometre is above the EU average of 119.6 grams of CO 2 per kilometre. This places Cyprus 17 th among EU countries, but the negative trend observed shows an improvement. GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES Accelerating Digital Transformation Preparations for the transposition of the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC) into Cypriot law. Additionally, a new law concerning radio frequency management issues is under way. Promoting Connectivity & High-Capacity Networks • Cyprus has met the 2020 target for ubiquitous 30 Mbps coverage. Increasing Digital Awareness: • Alignment with the targets of the European Gigabit Society and the 5G Action Plan. • Free Wi-Fi access in public buildings, remote villages, and selected public spaces, including buses, bus stations and multimodal points along public transport routes. • 2019 Pilot Voucher Scheme subsidised new subscriptions (or upgrades) for speeds of 100 Mbps and above for a duration of 12 months. A New National Broadband Plan aims to help reach the EU’s 2025 connectivity objectives. It includes the following reforms and Investments through funding from the Resilience and Recovery Fund Reforms: • Empower the National Regulatory Authority in addressing affordability of broadband services for the end-users. • Empower the national Broadband Competence Office as the single point of contact for public investment and cooperation with private investors and facilitators of the necessary administrative procedures, as well as a primary contributor to the preparation and implementation of the common Union Toolbox for Connectivity. Investments: • Expansion of Very High-Capacity Networks in underserved areas. • Enhance building cabling to be “Gigabit-ready”, promote connectivity take-up, and encourage end users to connect with very high-capacity networks considering cost-reduction deals. • Creation of the Digital Services Factory, that will standardise and industrialise the development of digital micro-services and ensure citizen’s needs are satisfied. • Creation of Digital Twins of Mobility Networks, securing coverage and availability of information to responsible agencies to manage incidences and users to make appropriate choices for route and mode. Research & Innovation (R&I) • Development and adoption of a comprehensive national R&I policy supported by data-driven policy tools to support the R&I ecosystem, and enhance links between policy- making and implementation. • Design and promote incentives to encourage and attract investments and human capital in R&I • Introduction of policies and incentives to facilitate and foster access to publicly-funded research infrastructure and laboratories. • Cyprus is a blooming innovation ecosystemwithin the Eastern Mediterranean region with a strong patenting activity of 432 recorded patents. • Through the increased Research and Innovation target (estimated to reach 1.50% of GDP by 2023) the aim is to strengthen links between research organisations and private firms, commercialise research results, increase intensity of R&D activity, hence investments, by both public and private organisations, and make research infrastructure accessible to the entire ecosystem. Circular Economy The new Industrial Strategy aims to enhance the Cyprus circular economy model, through the implementation of a concrete action plan, which focuses, inter alia, on creating a culture among citizens (sustainable consumption) and businesses (manufacturers/entrepreneurs), provide effective incentives for industry to invest in circular economy and develop the necessary infrastructure. Six Centers of Excellence in R&I have secured a total of €90m under the relevant EU framework “Horizon 2020” in addition to €15m state support to each one for a period of 15 years