Why are we absent in Europe?

DISY yesterday wanted to know why there were a reduced number of Cypriot representatives in the EU and why the public was not being properly informed on the special programmes organised by the EU.

The discussion took place at yesterday’s House Commerce Committee, where the president, Lefteris Christoforou of DISY, said he believed that the government was not fully informing the public on the programmes, wondering whether using CyBC for special broadcasts on European activities would bring the Cypriot public closer.

DISY Deputies Maria Kyriacou and Zacharias Zacharia both agreed. “The EU is not only an obligation but a right of the Cypriot citizen,” said Zacharia.

“There has been some communication,” added Kyriacou, “but it must increase because new programmes are being created and the public is not being informed.”

Deputy Christos Mavrokordatos of AKEL contradicted DISY, reminding the Committee that President Tassos Papadopoulos had responded positively to agricultural organisations’ requests for rural Information Centres. “This was to ensure that every single farmer is aware of EU decisions.”

Stavros Evagorou of AKEL added that the number of Cypriot representatives in the EU had quadrupled and that the Ministries were doing a good of informing the public. Such issues should not be exploited ahead of the forthcoming parliamentary elections, he concluded.

Spokesmen for both the Foreign Ministry and the Chamber of Commerce (KEVE) expressed their satisfaction at the rhythm at which information was being passed on, despite the difficulties faced in doing so – for example the fact that it can take up to three days to attend a two-hour conference in Brussels.

KEVE also pointed out that, where businessmen were concerned, complying with the European acquis was not just a matter of informing them on new programmes but also of educating them.

??

??

??

??

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.