AFTER MONTHS without a head, and just nine months before the country takes over the EU Council, a new boss is finally turning up for work tomorrow at the Cyprus EU Presidency Secretariat.
Former head Andreas Moleskis resigned on June 22 following an outcry over questionable hiring practices, leaving the Secretariat leaderless for over three months.
One EU commentator, Phedon Nicolaides argued that to do a decent job, Moleskis’ replacement needed to have political credibility, expert advisers and institutional powers.
On Thursday, parliament approved the creation of a temporary position – Undersecretary to the President for European Affairs – to be filled by Andreas Mavroyiannis, Cyprus’ ambassador to the EU in Brussels.
The Permanent Representation in Brussels is an essential component of any presidency since the vast majority of meetings and events, particularly the high profile “juicy” ones occur in Brussels under the chairmanship of the member state holding the presidency.
Cyprus’ ambassador to Paris, Kornelios Korneliou, a former deputy ambassador to the EU, will be replacing Mavroyiannis at the Perm Rep, starting tomorrow.
The appointment of two experienced diplomats to Nicosia and Brussels has led some to breathe a small sigh of relief, after Cyprus “took its foot off the accelerator” for a few months.
But with the clock ticking towards the country’s first ever six-month rotating presidency, the question remains: Can Cyprus pull it off in time?
“We’re at a good stage. We lost valuable time but we’re but back on track now,” Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis told the Sunday Mail.
“We had the Moleskis problem, but the Secretariat and all the ministries continued to work, we were not paralysed by delay. The ministries have been working very hard on their separate agendas,” she added.
Speaking from a bus in Poland – the current holder of the EU Presidency – Marcoullis repeatedly highlighted that the ministries were continuing to work on their “separate agendas”.
But for any presidency to pass smoothly, all branches of government have to coordinate and cooperate in a most efficient manner never seen in Cyprus over an intense period of time. If the ministries aren’t cooperating, the whole thing could blow up for Cyprus, at least in terms of its image, integrity and credibility.
Marcoullis appeared aware of the challenges: “We haven’t done this before. We’ve had conferences, large and small, but this is the first time on a daily basis for six months we’ll be going under daily scrutiny of our competence and ability to carry out such a huge responsibility.”
She quickly added: “I’m not saying I don’t have concerns but if we start with that we’ll remain handicapped. Despite the financial constraints and small size of the country, I think we’ll have a successful presidency.”
Polish ambassador to Nicosia Pawel Dobrowolski told the Sunday Mail about his country’s experiences, half-way into the six-month presidency, and like Cyprus, for the first time.
“It’s too early to draw conclusions on how the machine is performing. We’ll see by December. But we’ve been preparing for over two years for this,” he said.
Around €105m has been earmarked for the Polish presidency. The French reportedly spent near €200m. The cost for Cyprus will be in the €60-€70m range.
“After the Lisbon Treaty, you have to be a good manager, not a politician, presiding over countless committees and coordinating with the European Parliament,” he added.
According to Dobrowolski, Poland has a different set up for planning the presidency than Cyprus.
The office running the presidency at every level is located at the Polish foreign ministry, headed by a deputy minister, and empowered by the prime minister to be responsible for the internal coordination of all ministries.
“Presidencies are by and large Brussels-based, that’s where the real juice is flowing,” he said.
Another EU diplomat noted that Cyprus’ greatest handicap was its distance from Brussels, further than anybody else, the time to get there and lack of routes.
“The gap between those doing the job in Brussels and political direction in Nicosia is going to be harder than it was for others,” said the diplomat.
In addition, ministers hold informal EU ministerial meetings in the country holding the presidency. For logistical purposes, Polish cities and accommodation were selected up to two years in advance.
“The main thing is to establish a system for the functional and practical exchange of information between the foreign ministry and its embassies around the world, as well as with each ministry,” said Dobrowolski.
From the 700 officials working at the Polish foreign ministry, around half are working solely on the presidency.
“There are a group of people working on a 24-hour basis on very detailed data. We’ve trained 200-300 civil servants in the last two years to be responsible and coordinate on very narrow, sectoral, issues. We’ve held workshops for officials to be able to react for example to an acute international crisis.
“You need training, technology, communications, and email on a permanent basis. We’ve invested a lot in the last few years in information exchange, open and secure communication. The inflow of information is so big, you need a lot of people knowing things at the same time,” said Dobrowolski.
The presidency also needs to have its own agenda or priorities mapped out in advance. “They have to target the greater good, not local issues. They have to be few and well-balanced. And you need a lot of patience, work and humility to learn from other presidencies.”
The EU may have its own foreign policy chief in the form of Catherine Ashton, but a presidency’s foreign minister also plays a part in decision-making process, noted the Polish ambassador, adding, “It’s not an easy thing.”
Bearing this in mind, how does the man taking over the Cyprus secretariat feel?
“Everybody’s concerned (about the three-month gap) including myself, even more so because I have to take care of all the problems,” said Mavroyiannis before his appointment on Thursday.
The Cypriot diplomat highlighted he was in constant contact with the secretariat while in Brussels, “laying the groundwork for when I arrive”.
While things were not at a standstill, he acknowledged the “need for a clear sense of direction and leadership”.
He added: “It’s high time to put it behind us. I’m not pessimistic but at the same time I realise it’s a daunting challenge. There’s still a lot to do mainly regarding logistics and organisation.”
Beyond the enormous organisational challenge, what else is Cyprus facing?
“Cyprus is a small, remote country compared to Brussels, which is the centre of the EU. We have the current economic crisis, lack of orientation and identity crisis in the EU. It’s not easy for a small member state like Cyprus to show leadership in Europe at this time,” said Mavroyiannis.
“We have to transform our weakness into strength. It can help us to be an honest broker and move things forward,” he added.
One of the big challenges facing Cyprus is getting 27 member states to agree on the EU’s next long-term budget for 2014-2020. This is traditionally when the big boys get their clubs out, the medium ones throw their toys out the pram and the small ones stay quiet.
Then there’s the rather divisive issue of formulating a Common European Asylum System by the end of 2012.
“There are many inherited topics that will come to prominence so we need to be up to the required level. We also have our own initiative
s on water resources and integrated maritime policy,” said Mavroyiannis.
And how prepared is the civil service? The Mari naval blast which killed 13 people on July 11 has left a scar on the country and exposed a working culture which appears to lack coordination and shed responsibility.
One EU diplomat pointed to a further weakness: “There is a lack of awareness within the civil service as to the amount of responsibility and hard work required during these six months. Cyprus has never experienced such an enormous amount of efficient bureaucracy.”
Arguing his point, he added: “You might ask a question of a senior government official and wait seven days for an answer by which point it’s too late. For the presidency, you have to be trained to solve issues, write back within 24 hours, show you’re alive. People take their laptops to bed. I’m not convinced this mentality exists.”
Another EU diplomat saw the glass slightly more full: “One shouldn’t be too negative. Give the two (Mavroyiannis and Korneliou) a chance to prove they are good diplomats. There are still nine months to go. You can make a baby in nine months.”
As for Cyprus’ new deputy minister for EU affairs, his many years of service in Brussels and New York did not appear to cloud his judgement of home.
“Until recently, Cyprus had a good reputation in terms of efficiency in the public sector. It’s losing focus and seriousness a little bit. It needs to reset the button, mobilise resources, become more committed and gain more expertise.
“We joined the EU seven years ago. There have been no real challenges in implementation until now. It’s an opportunity for the public sector to really adjust to the needs of a modern European society,” said Mavroyiannis.
