FINANCE MINISTER Takis Klerides yesterday signed two financial memoranda, under which the government will receive 9 million euros (£5.1 million) from the EU as part of the pre-accession aid allocated to Cyprus for the year 2000.
The aid will be used to co-finance the application and enforcement of the EU acquis and projects contributing to the reconciliation of the Cypriot communities. For political reasons, the Turkish-Cypriot community has refused to participate in the bi-communal projects, meaning the money has remained idle. The total amount of pre-accession aid allocated to Cyprus for the period 2000-2004 is estimated around £32.7 million.
“The nine million [euros] will be used correctly according to EU regulations and we still hope that Cyprus will benefit more from EU funds in its effort to continue its accession course as smoothly as possible,” Klerides said shortly after signing the memoranda in the presence of Donato Chiarini, head of the EU Commission delegation.
The package allocation is broken down into funds for upgrading administrative efficiency, police administration (in line with the Schengen Treaty), modernising the VAT services and upgrading the customs and excise department. Around half a million pounds will be allocated for Cyprus’ participation in the Leonardo da Vinci, Socrates and Youth Community programmes in 2001.
Although the amount made available to Cyprus is thought to be relatively low, the EU considers Cyprus has a high per capita income and does not require more aid. For the first time ever, control over the implementation of the projects will be partly delegated to the governments receiving the aid. Previously the EU Commission supervised all stages of implementation.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
