THE EU Presidency is one of the biggest challenges Cyprus will face as a state, said deputy minister for EU affairs Andreas Mavroyiannis yesterday in his first public appearance since getting the job.
The combination of Turkish threats against Cyprus’ sovereignty, ongoing peace talks and a global economic crisis provide Cyprus with “the worst conjunction” to have during its six-month Presidency starting next July, said the Cypriot diplomat.
Mavroyiannis described Turkey’s threats to freeze co-operation with the EU Council during Cyprus’ Presidency as “unheard of and totally unacceptable”.
Addressing a seminar on the Cyprus EU Presidency organised by the Cyprus News Agency and European Commission Representation in Cyprus, he said Turkey’s stance was an indication of the difficulties Cyprus will face in the second half of 2012.
The ambassador referred to Turkish threats against Cyprus’ exploratory drilling for natural resources in its Exclusive Economic Zone.
In this difficult political environment, Nicosia is called upon to defend its national interests, continue the Cyprus talks for a solution of the Cyprus problem and lead a successful EU Presidency.
He warned, however, that the presidency could not be hijacked to promote national interests.
“We cannot use the Presidency for our national problem, nor let the problem interfere with our handling of the Presidency,” he said.
While peace talks already take up a lot of time and energy of the state machinery, Cyprus does not have the luxury to abandon either the talks or the presidency, he noted.
By taking over the Presidency, “Cyprus will face one of its biggest challenges as an EU member state, but also as a state,” he said.
Its success was a matter of “national importance” and “historic necessity”, requiring the wider cooperation and consent of all to build a picture of Cyprus as a credible, equal and responsible EU partner.
Cyprus will have to manage a number of tough issues, including working with parliament to push through a load of European Commission legal proposals, completing negotiations for the multiannual financial framework (2014-2020), handling the economic crisis, strengthening economic governance, and concluding a common European asylum system.
Cyprus will be the third in line to take charge of the 18-month Trio Presidency which began on July 1, 2011 with Poland, will be followed by Denmark at the start of the new year and Cyprus from July 2012.
Mavroyiannis acknowledged the serious delays in preparing for the presidency due to the resignation of former Presidency Secretariat head Andreas Moleskis three months earlier, adding that most of those appointed to chair Council working groups have moved to Brussels and are undergoing training. Construction work on the conference and press centre in Nicosia should be completed by January 2012 while negotiations with hotels to host travelling EU officials have begun.
Cyprus is expected to chair around 3,500 meetings of which 15 will likely be informal ministerial meetings and 180 lower-level meetings in Cyprus, while the rest will be held in Brussels. An informal leaders’ summit in Cyprus is also likely on the cards.
Speaking at the seminar, head of the European Commission Representation in Cyprus Androulla Kaminara said: “The role of a small member state taking over the EU Presidency is exactly the same as that of a large member state.”
She highlighted that the presiding member state could not impose in any way issues of its own interests on other states. In fact, it so happens Cyprus will have to deal with one of the toughest EU issues of the decade, the multiannual financial perspectives.
The continuing economic crisis and Cyprus’ proximity to the Middle East meant Cyprus would be called to handle unexpected issues.
“The only certainty is that there will be unexpected issues which the Cyprus EU Presidency will be called to confront,” she said.
