WRITTEN QUESTION E-1057/00 by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Commission. Cyprus.
C 53 E/64 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 20. 2. 2001 (2001/C 53 E/075) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1057/00 by Theresa Villiers (PPE-DE) to the Commission (4 April 2000) Subject: Cyprus Accession negotiations with Cyprus pose special challenges to the EU. What is the total amount of finance which has been made available to date so as to aid Cypriot accession? What commitments have been made as to future funding? What, if any, funds have been made available for projects designed to foster reconciliation between the two communities in Cyprus? If such funds have been made available, can the Commission give details of the nature and number of such reconciliation projects? UN Resolution 1283, adopted in 1999, states that links and contacts between the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities remain very limited, largely because of the restrictions imposed by the occupying Turkish regime (íthe Denktash regimeí). Have the Commission or its agents or employees experienced any difficulties in implementing projects designed to foster reconciliation between the two Cypriot commu- nities? If so, could the Commission give details of these difficulties and state whether they have still to be resolved? In particular, could it state what role the Denktash regime played in blocking or otherwise hindering such reconciliation projects? Is the Commission aware of any non-EU initiatives aimed at reconciliation between the two Cypriot communities which have been blocked or in any way hindered by the Denktash regime? Answer given by Mr Verheugen on behalf of the Commission (27 April 2000) The Commission agrees with the Honourable Member that enlargement negotiations with Cyprus raise the opportunity of Union special challenges for the Union. However, membership for Cyprus may be the catalyst in the proximity talks currently underway within the auspices of the United Nations. the Commission hopes that Cyprus has benefited over the years from four financial protocols covering grants, risk capital and European Investment Bank (EIB) loans. The fourth of these protocols (€ 74 million, consisting of € 50 million in EIB loans, € 22 million in grants and € 2 million in risk capital) came to an end on 31 December 1999. One of the the projects financed under this protocol Community áacquisí into Turkish. is for a translation of For the future, the total funds which have been made available for Cyprus for the period 2000-2004 fall within the terms of the new financial regulation, adopted by the Council on 13 March 2000 (1). This regulation now forms the legal basis for the accession partnership with Cyprus. € 57 million is earmarked for the island over the period, with € 9 million to be committed for the year 2000. € 6 million of this will be for harmonization projects within the pre-accession strategy with the remaining € 3 million being reserved for bi-communal projects. For the new financial regulation and following the recent visit to Cyprus of the commissioner responsible for enlargement, the Commission is now studying projects aimed at bringing the two communities together. This work is currently at the pre-programming stage. (1) OJ L 68, 16. 3. 2000