GREEK Cypriot MEP Yiannakis Cassoulides yesterday blamed Britain for the lack of consensus in the EU on aid and trade to the Turkish Cypriots due to its insistence that both measures be decided at the same time.
In a written statement from Brussels, Cassoulides said Britain was being “completely inflexible” as discussions on the issue continued yesterday.
Cassoulides said that yesterday, Dutch Foreign Minister Bernard Bot, who was asked to brief the Committee on the progress of discussions, said that efforts were focusing on finding solutions to both issues at the same time.
However, if that was not possible, the two regulations would be agreed on separately, Bot said.
Bot said he had discussed this issue with President Tassos Papadopoulos and Foreign Minister George Iacovou and that it appeared that the Cyprus government still had some problems on the financing regulation, and even bigger problems on the direct trade proposal.
He also said that most EU foreign ministers supported the adoption of the two regulations at the same time, because the economic situation of the two communities was imbalanced.
Commenting on Bot’s statements, Cassoulides said Cyprus was not the only member that had reservations about the regulations.
Following April’s referendum on the UN reunification plan, the EU put together a series of measures to end the economic isolation of the Turkish Cypriots as a reward for their ‘yes’ vote.
The regulation on intra-island trade has already been implemented but the proposals for 259 euros in aid and the issue of direct trade between Turkish Cypriots and the EU is still pending. The Cyprus government agrees in principle that the financial aid should be given but is strongly opposed to the direct trade and says that Turkish Cypriots can use the intra-island trade regulation to move their goods to Europe.
The government says the direct trade proposal should require unanimity and cannot be decided by qualified majority voting. Legal experts at the European Council agree but the Commission has taken a different view, which government officials say is the result of British efforts to have both proposals approved as a package.
The success of the British attempt depends on the Dutch EU Presidency position at today’s meeting, Iacovou said earlier this week.
Diplomatic circles in Brussels told the Cyprus Mail yesterday that Britain agreed with the Commission’s view. “The Commission has one view and the Council’s legal service has another and Britain agrees with the Commission,” said the source. “The two proposals are a package. The EU has an obligation to the Turkish Cypriots that was spelled out very, very clearly and that needs to be fulfilled. Aid on its own will not end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots, which is the commitment the EU foreign ministers made back in April. Trade in fact is far more important than aid.”
