European Commission looking into Karpas development reports

THE European Commission is looking into reports that Turkish Cypriots are planning to allocate land in the Karpas peninsula for the construction of university facilities, it was announced yesterday.
“The European Commission is particularly sensitive to matters that concern the protection of the environment,” a press release said. “The wider area of Karpas presents unique environmental wealth with rare flora and fauna. Potential building construction is likely to affect the Special Protection Areas of the peninsula which could be included in the Natura 2000 programme following the comprehensive settlement and reunification of the island.”
English-language newspaper Cyprus Today reported that the break-away regime in the north of Cyprus has allocated 195 donums to be used for the construction of a campus for the Kyrenia American University, which is currently located in Kyrenia.
The earmarked area, Ayios Philonas was not included in the Nature 2000 programme but had been designated as a park.
The European Commission said it started looking into the matter before it made the headlines.
“We are now at the stage of data collection, situation analysis and clarifications. In addition, EC experts have visited the area in the last days. We reassure that the EC is following the matter and we consider it important. Appropriate action will be taken as necessary,” the Commission said in a statement.
The statement comes as reports from the north suggested that the break-away regime was planning to build-up the Karpas to prevent its return to the Greek Cypriots in the event of a solution.
“We are taking initiatives not to return Karpasia to the Greek Cypriots,” ‘deputy interior minister’ Hasan Islamoglu was quoted as saying in Politis.
Islamoglu added that there were also plans to build hotels in the peninsula, but with respect to the environment.
The European Commission funds a €5.2 million programme which aims at the establishment of effective systems for nature protection at the northern part of Cyprus.
The programme has three basic elements which complement each other: the preparation and development of management plans for the potential Natura 2000 areas, the establishment of minimum physical infrastructure and equipment for the protection and management of the sensitive areas, the support and creation of professional capacity of experts from the Turkish Cypriot community, responsible for nature protection, in order to give them the opportunity to protect and manage these areas.

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.