EU information drive

THE E.U. delegation in Cyprus will be stepping up its efforts to inform the public on membership issues from next month, ambassador Adriaan van der Meer said yesterday.

Van der Meer was guest speaker at a news conference in Nicosia to launch a series of 10 EU-related seminars being organised by the European Institute of Cyprus (EIC).

The seminars are also geared for the participation of Turkish Cypriots, providing simultaneous translations into Turkish, and being held at the Holiday Inn, a stone’s throw from the Ledra Palace crossing point.
“I see these seminars as part of a broader campaign,” said Van der Meer. “We are stepping up efforts in this very crucial period. More and more people are asking for specific information and we are pleased the government has taken some initiatives.”

Van der Meer said the EU delegation would also be stepping up its efforts with new material to be distributed from the beginning of next month in the form of a brochure to help the public understand what EU membership means. Cyprus is due to join the bloc in May next year.

“These seminars are therefore appropriate not only in terms of timing but the subjects chosen go to the hard core of our policies,” said Van der Meer. “And it means for me that we are now moving on to a new stage from abstract discussions on EU affairs to detailed discussions on very specific issues.”
The seminars, starting on September 10 and ending on December 12, cover issues such as Justice and Home Affairs, the role of local administration, EU immigration and the employment of migrant workers, waste disposal management, competition policy, regional effect of terrorism, food safety and freedom of movement of goods.

Speakers will include EU and local experts.

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.