EU Trio agree on presidency programme

AN AGREEMENT has been reached in principle on the text of the 18-month programme of the three EU Presidencies of Poland, Denmark and Cyprus, following a high-level meeting of the three delegations in Nicosia yesterday.

According to a press release by the Secretariat of Cyprus’ EU Presidency, the 18-month programme aims to ensure consistency throughout the 18-month period while essentially outlining the Council’s work programme during that period.

In a joint press conference, Polish Secretary of State for European Affairs, Mikolaj Dowgielewicz, Danish Under-Secretary for European Affairs Kim Jørgensen, and head of the Cypriot delegation, Andreas Moleski pledged to continue their “effective and constructive” cooperation, moving towards the official launch of the Trio Presidency when Poland assumes the rotating Presidency of the Council on July 1, 2011.

Moleskis said the objectives outlined in the programme were “quite ambitious and progressive, yet achievable”.

Jørgensen said this was a critical time for Europe and that the trio presidency agenda would be particularly difficult due to the economic crisis. He noted the importance of the presidency coinciding with 20 years of the EU’s internal market, further adding that tough negotiations would be required on the EU’s long-term financial perspectives.

In their joint press statement, the three head coordinators committed to “do their utmost to deal with the many challenges and issues that the EU will have to deal with during the three rotating Presidencies in a transparent, inclusive and efficient manner to the benefit of the EU as a whole.”

The programme now awaits approval through the internal mechanisms of each of the three countries, with approval pending from cabinet for Cyprus, before being endorsed by EU member states at the General Affairs Council next month.

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.