Extra EU funds for the Turkish Cypriots

The European Commission announced on Friday the approval of €32m from the EU budget for its new financial assistance programme for the Turkish Cypriot community.
In an announcement, the commission said that this is the continuation of the “successful aid programme promoting the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community” but also of the improvement of contacts between the two communities and to bringing the Turkish Cypriots closer to the EU.
“During his visit to Cyprus in July, President Juncker reiterated the Commission’s longstanding commitment to the reunification of the island. This process should be facilitated through the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community and this is why we fund projects which contribute to bringing the two Cypriot communities closer together, “Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Creţu said.
Reconciliation and trust-building efforts, the announcement said, will continue to be a strong component of the programme through support to the bi-communal committee on cultural heritage and, for the first time, the rehabilitation of the buffer zone in the old town of Nicosia.
The boost to the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community is part of the council’s April 2004 mandate which aims to facilitate the reunification of the island, in support of the UN-led settlement process.
The new programme, the announcement said, will focus on protecting the environment, especially the closure of polluting dumpsites, strengthening the dairy sector to help it prepare for the EU market and for preparing the Turkish Cypriot community for the application of the EU body of laws after a settlement.
Furthermore, it aims to facilitate businesses’ access to credit and to support civil society organisations to increase civic engagement and foster cooperation between the two communities.
Since 2006, the EU has invested €400 million under the Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community to support local small businesses, develop or improve key infrastructures, support student mobility and prepare Turkish Cypriots for EU entry after a solution.

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.