Their common citizen-centered policies were developed in the context of the 3rd Greece Cyprus Summit – Strategic Horizons by the Minister of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence, Dimitris Papastergiou and its Deputy Minister of Innovation, Research and Digital Policy CyprusNikodimos Damianou
In the panel attended by Dimitris Papastergiou and Nikodimos Damianou as part of the 3rd Greece Cyprus Summit – Strategic Horizons held today (12/11/2025) at the “Great Britain” hotel, the close and effective cooperation of Greece and Cyprus, model countries in strengthening the digital governance.
Mr. Papastergiou underlined the special nature of the cooperation between Greece and Cyprus.
“Too many memorandums have been signed and not moved forward. Here we are the exact opposite”, he declared, adding that “the things that are done are much more and in fact are done at very specific times with the two groups working very closely, very densely”, while he did not hide that the communication with his Cypriot counterpart is almost weekly, as new issues and joint initiatives constantly arise.
In fact, he referred to specific examples of this two-way cooperation.
“While Cyprus pioneered the implementation of eIDAS (electronic identification and trust services), from which Greece drew valuable knowledge, Greece proceeded to develop the Gov.gr Wallet and the Digital Citizen, with Cyprus providing support and contributing to the implementation together,” said the Greek Minister of Digital Governance and Artificial Intelligence.
One of the key talking points was the interoperability of digital wallets.
Mr. Damianou pointed out that the first phase of these applications has covered the “physical world”, allowing the digitization of official documents of the state and the identification of the citizen. The next step, he said, is to expand into the “online world”, by creating a common digital space between the two countries, strengthening the common digital dimension.
Special mention was made of the Age Verification initiative, an issue that Europe has been slow to address.
Mr. Papastergiou announced that Greece with the Kids Wallet has come forward by introducing an age verification solution not only for accessing content but also for purchasing age-restricted products (e.g. alcohol, tobacco) that will go live next week.
For its part, Cyprus announced that it is integrating tickets for sports matches into its own digital wallet, leveraging Greece’s experience.
The protection and development of the Greek language in the field of Artificial Intelligence was also highlighted.
Mr. Papastergiou emphasized: “The Greek language is one. And it’s a small language, an endangered language, a language that if we don’t grow it and if we don’t study it through artificial intelligence models it will be lost.”
Regarding the creation of AI Factory, one of which will be located in Cyprus, Mr. Damianou explained that it will focus on providing know-how and tools to companies in the Cypriot ecosystem, as well as access to computing power through Daedalus. Vertical areas of strategic interest include the Greek language, energy (CleanTech) and health.
Despite the successes, the two ministers also acknowledged the challenges. Mr. Damianou referred to the bureaucracy and the need to renew the legislation. “We run a state with obstacles based on the legislation of the 1960s.” He also emphasized the need for a more positive attitude from society towards change, even though changes in culture are not always easy.
Regarding future cooperation opportunities, Mr. Papastergiou focused on the utilization of (anonymized) medical data, the European Health Data Space, the strengthening of telecommunications cables for faster data transfer and space policies.
Mr. Damianou added, mentioning the possibility for a common cybersecurity space, the protection of shipping through cyberdomes and the exploration of space technologies.
Closing the discussion, Mr. Papastergiou conveyed the message that was also sent to Cyprus during the signing of the memorandum: “Nations are characterized by a common history, common language, traditions. Now in 2025, nations can and must be characterized by common technological approaches.