Cyprus to adopt European anti-terror measures after May 1

CYPRUS will implement EU counter-terrorism measures immediately upon joining the bloc in May, Justice Minister Doros Theodorou said yesterday.

Theodorou recently attended an EU council of justice ministers and security chiefs with the purpose of developing an action plan against terrorists. The meeting came in the wake of the Madrid bombings, amid calls for beefed-up security and greater co-operation among EU countries.

Some of the measures proposed include phone tapping and extradition; so far, the common arrest warrant has been ratified by just six out of the 15 EU members, although they promised to have it in place by January this year.

Individual states have also been reluctant to share intelligence, and tend jealously to guard the results of criminal investigations.

According to Theodorou, the justice ministers’ proposals could be adopted by the upcoming EU summit on Thursday.
However, he added that Cyprus’ constitution currently prohibits phone tapping and extradition of Cypriot nationals, and would therefore need to be amended when Cyprus officially joins the EU on 1 May.

He said that the necessary bills have already been drafted and submitted to the Cabinet; in turn, the Cabinet decided the bills should be tabled in parliament immediately after May 1.

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.