OEB at the Tripartite Summit on Growth and Jobs
Brussels, 19 March 2025
The Cyprus Employers and Industrialists Federation (OEB) actively participates in the Tripartite Social Summit for Growth and Employment, which takes place today, 19 March 2025, in Brussels.
OEB is represented by the Its President, Mr. Antonis Antoniou , and the General Manager, Mr. Michalis Antoniou , in a leading meeting bringing together leading figures from the European political and economic scene. The conference, which bears the title “Bringing Europe back on track in a challenging geopolitical environment as an attractive, competitive and investment-friendly location that protects and creates quality jobs”, is organised with the participation of the President of the European Commission, Mr. Ursula von der Leyen his President of the European Council, António Costa , as well as the Polish Minister for the European Union, Adam Szłapka , representing the EU Presidency.
Cyprus, as the country that assumes the presidency in the 1st half of 2026, is represented by the Minister of Labour and Social Insurance, Mr. Yiannis Panayiotou . Also present are the President of BusinessEurope, Mr Fredrik Persson the President of SGI Europe, Mr. Pascal Bolo the Secretary General of the ETUC, Ms Esther Lynch , and other prominent representatives of the social partners.
In his speech, the President of OEB, Mr. Antonis Antoniou, focused on the need to strengthen the competitiveness of the European economy through substantial reforms. He stressed the importance of reducing over-regulation and bureaucracy, welcoming simplification initiatives, while proposing even more ambitious targets for reducing administrative burdens, pointing out that European entrepreneurship cannot operate under suffocating compliance procedures. He also referred to the crucial issue of energy costs, underlining that, despite the significant successes in the transition to Renewable Energy Sources, businesses and citizens face great difficulties in managing electricity costs. He spoke of the need for more realistic timetables and greater flexibility in the EU’s energy targets, in order to ensure sustainable growth without jeopardising the competitiveness of European businesses. At the same time, he supported the Union of Skills initiative, highlighting the importance of upskilling, internal mobility and legal migration as tools to tackle labour shortages in Europe.
OEB’s participation in leading European meetings, such as the Tripartite Social Summit, highlights the importance of representing Cypriot businesses in consultations that shape the future of the European economy. Through targeted interventions, OEB contributes to the development of policies that support sustainable growth, competitiveness and the creation of quality jobs.
OEB remains committed to creating a favorable business environment and formulating realistic policies that respond to modern challenges. With its dynamic presence in the European social dialogue, it actively contributes to safeguarding the interests of the Cypriot business community and enhancing the competitiveness of European enterprises.
