THE ENTIRE state machinery is focused on preparing Cyprus for the Presidency of the EU in July, government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou said yesterday.
He made the comment after President Demetris Christofias chaired a third meeting at the presidential palace on Cyprus’ preparations for the six-month rotating EU Presidency in the second half of 2012.
The meeting was attended by cabinet ministers, the government spokesman, undersecretary to the president on EU affairs and other state officials.
Stefanou said it was well known that “essentially the entire state machinery” was working on the Presidency, which he described as a “very important national issue”. Preparations have been progressing at an intensified pace and will continue to intensify as the July date approaches, he added.
“As we approach the second half of 2012, effectively, the Presidency will constitute the main priority of the entire state machinery,” said Stefanou.
Asked to comment on problems facing the government, Stefanou pointed to parliament’s cost-cutting measures adopted last week, which included a decision not to approve the budget for hiring 13 press officers to cover the state’s needs during the Presidency.
The 13 press officers were to be allocated to the various ministries and be responsible for communicating background information to journalists, and getting the outcome of informal EU ministerial meetings out on the official Cyprus Presidency website in English in real time.
According to a source from the Press and Information Office (PIO) responsible for communications during Cyprus’ Presidency, the initial request was for 24 press officers. The finance ministry came back with an offer for eight, which the PIO said was way below the minimum needed to get the job done. They agreed on 13, but will get zero following parliament’s decision.
“This is an issue we have to address and we will, though it would have been better for parliament to have approved (the budget for the 13 press officers),” said Stefanou.
Interior Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis yesterday outlined the priorities of his ministry for the Cyprus Presidency, listing them as: setting up a Common European Asylum System (CEAS) by the end of 2012, promoting policies for the integration of migrants, and enhancing volunteerism and NGO assistance in addressing issues of humanitarian aid, response and coordination in cases of humanitarian crises and natural disasters.
Sylikiotis said the Presidency was a “challenge” for Cyprus, which had to play an honest broker regarding issues on the EU agenda.
A common asylum policy never used to be high on the agenda but recently, more EU countries beyond the Mediterranean region are feeling the pinch of increased migratory flows. Cyprus is no longer first in the number of asylum applications per capita but is now fifth, with Belgium and Luxembourg receiving higher applications than before.
The EU needs to act in a more coordinated manner and further highlight its principles on the matter, focusing on “more Europe, not less Europe”, said Sylikiotis.
The system aims to provide a uniform way of examining applications for asylum and jointly addressing pressures that other countries come under. The minister said it was also logical for an area like the EU bloc to provide freedom of movement for recognised refugees.
Top of the agenda is revising the Dublin II Regulation which allows member states to send asylum seekers back to their first point of entry, usually on the fringes of the EU’s borders. Sylikiotis will chair an informal meeting of EU ministers to discuss the issue in Cyprus during the Presidency.
To this end, the Cypriot minister has already started contacts with the relevant MEPs at the European Parliament to explore ways to promote the CEAS.
“I want to create horizontal cooperation between EU institutions not just vertical,” he said.
The minister was quick to add that once Cyprus was at the helm, it would no longer pursue national interests: “when we take over the Presidency, we are representing the whole of the EU. We have a lot to gain by doing that.”
How likely a common asylum system in the EU is will become more evident in the next four months, said Sylikiotis.
Regarding the integration of migrants, he said a common policy was unlikely at this stage though the EU could work on building a framework to share knowledge on policies and discuss criteria for the better integration of migrants. This in turn will strengthen social cohesion in member states.
On the third priority, Sylikiotis spoke of promoting Cyprus, given its location and experience, as a regional centre for coordination and response to humanitarian crises.
