The Cyprus Economic Society (CES) was founded in 1962 as a not-for-profit organisation with the general aim of promoting the study of economics in Cyprus, at a time when the young Republic, founded in 1960 under the London-Zurich Agreements, was making its first steps as an independent country. CES has endured and adapted itself to the changing conditions in Cyprus through the invasion in 1974, the accession to the European Union in 2004, the introduction of the single currency in January 2008, and multiple economic crises, such as the stock market crisis of 2000, the global financial crisis of 2008 and the banking-fiscal crisis of 2012-14.
The CES is an independent and transparent organisation, devoted to the European integration process, the advancement of the country as a constructive member state of the EU, and to the understanding of contemporary issues.
We recognise that the European Union is the common house of all member states, but whilst there are many convergences on a variety of issues, there are also areas where the union does not work very well; or it does not work to the benefit of all in an equitable manner. Whilst much has been achieved, the European Union remains work in progress still. We endeavour to follow the developments in the EU and provide a platform for a fruitful discussion of relevant issues.
Cyprus with a long colonial history, and a pivotal location at the cross-roads of three continents – Europe, Asia, and Africa – attracts international interest and is therefore part of geopolitical dynamics beyond its territory. We thus seek to understand these dynamics, the global role of the European Union and how it evolves, and the role of other key powers such as the United Kingdom and how they relate to the island and to the EU more broadly.
We are an open and outward looking society. We do not employ resources for in house research activities, but we work through the voluntary contributions of its active board. We seek to leverage our membership for research contributions that come under our guiding objectives and interests as defined above.
The Cyprus Economic Society is an independent and transparent organization, that seeks to To inform public debate and to facilitate discussion of public policy issues and EU affairs.
We seek to achieve our mission through a variety of activities including discussion forums, panel discussions, lectures, and seminars, and also through publications. We publish the Discussion Papers, which are occasional papers emanating from our discussion events. Other discussion papers can also be published after invitation.
We publish a Blog that posts short treatises and opinion columns on current issues on local and European-global scope. More information about the Blog can be found in the relevant folder.
The press is welcome to present or re-publish our works with due acknowledgement as to the original source, the Cyprus Economic Society, and the author or authors of the particular article.
In pursuit of our aims we are guided by the principles of openness, objectivity, independent thinking, and rigour, combined where possible, with constructive proposals.
We seek to bring together all interested individuals, citizens of the Republic of Cyprus whether they reside on the island or abroad. We seek to reach out to research centres and think tanks in Europe including the United Kingdom. We thus aim to strengthen as much as possible our network of contacts and affiliates in these centres and think tanks and also in institutions like the European Commission, the European Stability Mechanism, the European Central Bank and other Monetary Authorities.
Our audience is both local and international. We seek to reach the wider public and so our website is freely available. Our public events are posted on the website and also announced in the media. Our publications are also widely available and the press, at home and abroad, is welcome to make good use of them with due acknowledgement. We also seek to reach politicians, the government, official institutions, and policy makers. Besides the local audience, we are particularly interested in the audience in Europe and the UK.
We follow developments at home, in the Euro area and the European economies including the United Kingdom, as well as the single market and its energy and trade policies; we are interested in the business environment and the analysis of risk; we are interested in international relations and security issues, including the relations between the European Union, the United States, China, and Russia; we are also interested in the relations between countries in the neighbourhood primarily Turkey and the European Union and since Brexit, in the relations between the United Kingdom and the European Union; we are also interested in the functioning of EU institutions and the state of democracy in Europe.
We engage with senior figures in the governments and the European Commission and European Institutions. We engage with research centres and think tanks, and researchers at universities and other institutions.
Our events consist of lectures, discussion forums, panel discussions, conferences, and seminars. As much as possible in these events, we seek to bring together people from economics, business, and politics, as well as opinion formers. Most of our events are public, open to our membership and the wider audience. But many events are closed to members only and are off the record to ensure free and frank debate.
The conclusions of our research and seminars are reflected in our publications and press briefings.
The Cyprus Economic Society today publishes two types of research. The Discussion Papers and the Blog. The Discussion Papers derive from lectures and presentations in the programme of events of the Cyprus Economic Society, and publication follows permission of the author to do so. Occasionally, a discussion paper can be published outside of the flow of our discussion events, by invitation from the Board.
The Blog consists of short articles in the form of a blog or opinion column. Columnists for the Blog are affiliate members of the Cyprus Economic Society with a professional engagement at home or abroad. Columnists are designated but other professionals may from time to time be invited to contribute articles in their fields.
The Cyprus Economic Society is a registered private not-for-profit organisation. It operates by the voluntary contributions of the Executive Board and its members and through its affiliations such as our affiliation with the University of Cyprus, through the Department of Economics and the School l of Economics and Management. Funding resources come from membership fees and from contributions from our corporate donors.
Our corporate donors are listed here:
A central activity of CES is the Annual Lecture in Economics, which is a public lecture delivered by a renowned economist on a significant public policy issue. Guest speakers have included Dani Rodrik (2023), Branko Milanovic (2022), Marco Buti (2021), Rolf Strauch (2019), Pascal Lamy (2018), Peter Bofinger (2017), Juergen von Hagen (2016), Paul De Grauwe (2015), Charles Wyplosz (2014), Charles Calomiris (2013), Christopher Pissarides (2000), Robert Solow (1994) and many others.
During the period 1988 – 2013, CES published a refereed journal; first, The Cyprus Journal of Economics and then its successor, Ekonomia. Currently, the Society collaborates with the Economics Research Centre of the University of Cyprus and its six-monthly publication, the Cyprus Economic Policy Review.
In 2010, motivated by the global economic crisis and particularly the Greek crisis, CES initiated a series of closed discussion events under the Chatham House rules. These events, usually restricted to members, have proved particularly popular and were later continued under the generic framework of discussion forums. Material provided or produced in terms of presentation slides and proceedings are circulated to members and press releases may at times accompany these events.
CES also holds workshops and seminars exclusively for members. In this case we take advantage of the Annual Lecture in Economics and other opportunities which may also arise in the context of activities of affiliated institutions, such as the University of Cyprus, to organise these events. This is an opportunity for members to participate in high level discussions on topical issues led by a guest economist.
The Cyprus Economics Society is also member of the International Economics Association (IEA), a renowned international organisation with wide global membership. We contribute an annual fee and are eligible to attend and contribute to the activities of the IEA in terms of presentations at their international conferences. Participation in these conferences is funded by the IEA.
