Subscribe for our daily curated newsletter to receive the latest exclusive Reuters coverage delivered to your inbox. More from Reuters. Sign up for our newsletter Subscribe for our daily curated newsletter to receive the latest exclusive Reuters coverage delivered to your inbox. Sign up. Accordingly, a pre-accession strategy was formulated to prepare Cyprus for its accession to the EU, which provided for the establishment of a structured dialogue between the two sides.
This dialogue, which also included a political dialogue on all levels, was particularly useful in helping Cyprus to harmonise its legislation, policies and practices with the European acquis and prepare itself for a smooth transition for membership.
The Decision of March 6, added a new momentum to the relations of Cyprus and the EU and brought the prospect of accession closer to realisation, while at the same time the EU was preparing itself for its next enlargement.
The Luxembourg European Council of December decided that a new enlargement process was to be initiated with the ten applicant countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Cyprus, which included an enhanced pre-accession strategy and special pre-accession aid for the applicants. Moreover, it was decided to begin accession negotiations with Cyprus, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Slovenia, which were launched on March 31, In March , the former President of the Republic, Mr.
In the same month the Cyprus Government invited the Turkish Cypriots to appoint representatives as full members of the negotiating team for the accession of Cyprus to the EU.
The invitation, endorsed and welcomed by all the EU member-states, was rejected by the Turkish Cypriot side.
This process was designed to determine the areas where the necessary changes in Cypriot law needed to take place in order to be harmonised with EU legislation. The acquis screening phase of the negotiations was concluded in , covering the new acquis up to January 1, From that point forward the screening process took place in the framework of the accession negotiations. Substantial discussions on the individual chapters of the acquis began on November 10, In repeated Progress Reports, the Commission found that Cyprus had achieved a good degree of alignment with the acquis in most areas and was advanced towards reaching adequate administrative capacity to implement the acquis in a considerable number of fields.
At the European Council in Laeken in December the EU emphasised that it was determined to bring the accession negotiations with the candidate countries to a successful conclusion by the end of , so that those countries can take part in the European Parliament elections in as full members.
It was also stressed that the candidate countries will continue to be assessed on their own merits, in accordance with the principle of differentiation. The European Council agreed with the report of the Commission, which considered that if the present rate of progress of the negotiations and reforms in the candidate states was maintained, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic and Slovenia could be ready for accession within that timetable.
The Seville European Council June reaffirmed the determination of the European Union to conclude accession negotiations with Cyprus, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia by the end of in the case the countries were ready and also reiterated that the objective remained that these countries should participate in the elections for the European Parliament in as full members. Enlargement was an important part of the Brussels European Council held on 24 and 25 October under the Danish Presidency.
The Union also confirmed its determination to conclude accession negotiations with these countries at the European Council in Copenhagen on December and to sign the Accession Treaty in Athens in April The long and arduous process of the accession negotiations was completed by the Copenhagen European Council December , where the historic decision was taken to admit Cyprus and the other nine candidate countries as full members of the Union, as of May Information on Trade and Business.
Cyprus and the European Union. The Cyprus Question. About Cyprus. Cypriot Community in South Africa. Addresses and Useful Links.
Archived Events. Cyprus and the European Union A Historical Overview Indicative of the age-old bonds between Cyprus and Europe is the reference contained in the Opinion of the European Commission on the application of Cyprus for membership to the EU, which notes that " Cyprus' geographical position, the deep-lying bonds which, for two thousand years, have located the island at the very fount of European culture and civilization, the intensity of the European influence apparent in the values shared by the people of Cyprus and in the conduct of the cultural, political, economic and social life of its citizens, the wealth of its contacts of every kind with the Community, all these confer on Cyprus, beyond all doubt, its European identity and character and confirm its vocation to belong to the Community".
The full implementation of this two-stage Agreement was to lead to a Customs Union within a period of 10 years. The purpose of the Agreement, which contained arrangements on trade, financial and technical cooperation that were to be applied for the benefit of the entire population of the island, was to consolidate and expand trade and the economic relations between Cyprus and the European Community.
The main provisions of the first stage of the Agreement consisted of the phased reduction of tariffs on industrial goods and agricultural products. This phase was due to expire in June but was extended until the end of when an Additional Protocol was signed for the implementation of the second stage.
This Protocol, which was to pave the way towards the progressive realization of the goal of a Customs Union, came into force on 1 January and, as a first stage, provided for the reduction by Cyprus of customs duties and quantitative restrictions on industrial products except for petroleum products and 15 categories of sensitive products and on 43 agricultural products covered by the Agreement, the adoption by Cyprus of the Union's Common Customs Tariff and the harmonization of accompanying policies on competition, State aid and the approximation of laws.
The second stage of the Protocol provided for the elimination of all remaining restrictions to trade for products included in the Customs Union, the free and unrestricted movement of industrial and agricultural products and the adoption of the accompanying policies required for completion of the customs union.
However, in view of the commencement of accession negotiations in March , it was considered unnecessary to start additional negotiations for the implementation of this second phase.
After an extensive examination of the application, the European Commission issued its Opinion Avis on Cyprus' application on 30 June , which recognized the island's European identity and character, as well as its vocation to belong to the EEC. The Commission's Opinion also confirmed that Cyprus satisfies the criteria for membership and is suitable to become a member of the EEC.
The European Council fully endorsed this Opinion on 4 October , stating, inter alia, that "The Council supported the Commission's approach which was to propose, without awaiting a peaceful, balanced and lasting solution to the Cyprus problem, to use all the instruments offered by the Association Agreement to help, in close cooperation with the Cypriot Government, with the economic, social and political transition of Cyprus towards integration into the European Union.
For this purpose, the Cyprus Government set up 23 working groups, each of them responsible for familiarizing itself with a different chapter of the acquis communautaire with which Cyprus needs to harmonize its legislation and adapt it with that of the European Union. In Essen, the European Council reaffirmed on 10 December that the next phase of enlargement of the Union would involve Cyprus and Malta.
On 6 March , the EU General Affairs Council reaffirmed the suitability of Cyprus for accession to the Union and stipulated that accession negotiations with Cyprus would start six months after the conclusion of the Inter-Governmental Conference of taking into consideration its results.
Accordingly, a Pre-accession Strategy was formulated to prepare Cyprus for its accession to the EU, which included the establishment of a structured dialogue between the two sides. This dialogue, which also included a political dialogue on all levels, was particularly useful in helping Cyprus to harmonize its legislation, policies and practices with the European acquis and prepare itself for a smooth transition for membership.
The decision of 6 March added a new momentum to the relations of Cyprus and the EU and brought the prospect of accession closer to realization, while at the same time, the EU itself was preparing itself for its next enlargement. Examining the possible effects of the further enlargement of the EU, the Commission issued its "Agenda " on 15 July A document that, apart from containing proposals on the future development of the policies of the Union, also included specific references relating to the situation in Cyprus.
The Commission reaffirmed its Opinion, adding that " At the Luxembourg European Council December , it was decided to initiate a new enlargement process with the ten applicant countries of Central and Eastern Europe and Cyprus, which included an enhanced Pre-accession Strategy and special pre-accession aid for the applicants. Moreover, it was decided to begin accession negotiations with Cyprus, Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Estonia and Slovenia, which were launched on 31 March The Council also decided to set up a European Conference that would bring together the fifteen member-states of the Union and "the European states aspiring to accede to it and sharing its values and internal and external objectives".
On 12 March , the President of the Republic of Cyprus presented an invitation to the Turkish Cypriots to appoint representatives as full members of the negotiating team for the accession of Cyprus to the EU. The Turkish Cypriot leadership rejected this invitation, which was fully endorsed and welcomed by all the EU member-states. At the Helsinki European Council December , it was explicitly underlined " If no settlement has been reached by the completion of accession negotiations, the Council's decision on accession will be made without the above being a precondition.
In this the Council will take account of all relevant factors". The Helsinki conclusions, therefore, made it very clear that the non-solution of the Cyprus problem could not hinder the island's efforts to join the EU.
In Nice, December , the European Council welcomed and expressed its strong support to the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-General to achieve an overall settlement of the Cyprus problem, which would be consistent with the UN Security Council Resolutions, thus positively concluding the process initiated in December Finally, it appealed to all the parties concerned to contribute to the efforts made to this effect.
The European Council in Goteborg, reaffirmed that the enlargement is irreversible, that the "road map" is the framework for the successful completion of the accession negotiations and that the main aim is the participation of candidate countries, as full members, in the European Parliament elections in At the European Council in Laeken, December , the EU emphasized that it is determined to bring the accession negotiations with the candidate countries to a successful conclusion by the end of , so that those countries can take part in the European Parliamentary elections in as members.
It was also stressed that the candidate countries will continue to be assessed on their own merits, in accordance with the principle of differentiation. The European Council agreed with the report of the Commission, which considered that, if the present rate of progress of the negotiations and reforms in the candidate States is maintained, Cyprus, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic, the Czech Republic and Slovenia could be ready for accession within this timetable.
The Seville European Council June reaffirmed the determination of the European Union to conclude accession negotiations with Cyprus, Malta, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia by the end of , if these countries are ready and reiterated that the objective remains that these countries should participate in the elections for the European Parliament in as full members.
Enlargement was an important part of the Brussels European Council that was held October under the Danish Presidency. In the Presidency Conclusions, the Union endorses the findings and recommendations of the Commission that Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia fulfil the political criteria and will be able to fulfil the economic criteria and to assume the obligations of membership from the beginning of The Union also confirmed its determination to conclude accession negotiations with these countries at the European Council in Copenhagen on December and sign the Accession Treaty in Athens in April The long and arduous process of the accession negotiations was completed at the Copenhagen European Council in December , where the historic decision was taken to admit Cyprus and the other nine candidate countries as full members of the Union, as of May In fact, Cyprus was the first country to successfully conclude its accession negotiations within the agreed timeframe.
In its landmark decision the Copenhagen European Council pointed out that: "The European Council in Copenhagen in launched an ambitious process to overcome the legacy of conflict and division in Europe. Today marks an unprecedented and historic milestone in completing this process with the conclusion of accession negotiations with Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, the Slovak Republic and Slovenia.
The Union now looks forward to welcoming these States as members from 1 May This achievement testifies to the common determination of the peoples of Europe to come together in a Union that has become the driving force for peace, democracy, stability and prosperity on our continent. As fully fledged members of a Union based on solidarity, these States will play a full role in shaping the further development of the European project".
The European Council also stressed: "Monitoring up to accession of the commitments undertaken will give further guidance to the acceding states in their efforts to assume responsibilities of membership and will give the necessary assurance to current Member States. The Commission will make the necessary proposals on the basis of the monitoring reports. Safeguard clauses provide for measures to deal with unforeseen developments that may arise during the first three years after accession.
The European Council welcomes furthermore the commitment to continue the surveillance of progress with regard to economic, budgetary and structural policies in the candidate States within the existing economic policy coordination processes". At Copenhagen it was emphasized that: "By successfully concluding the accession negotiations the Union has honoured its commitment that the ten acceding States will be able to participate in the European Parliament elections as members.
The Accession Treaty will stipulate that Commissioners from the new Member States will join the current Commission as from the day of accession on 1 May After the nomination of a new President of the Commission by the European Council, the newly elected European Parliament would approve a new Commission that should take office on 1 November On the same date, the provisions contained in the Nice Treaty concerning the Commission and voting in the Council will enter into force.
The necessary consultations with the European Parliament on these matters will be concluded by the end of January The above arrangements will guarantee the full participation of the new Member States in the institutional framework of the Union". Moreover: "The current enlargement provides the basis for a Union with strong prospects for sustainable growth and an important role to play in consolidating stability, peace and democracy in Europe and beyond.
In accordance with their national ratification procedures, the current and the acceding States are invited to ratify the Treaty in due time for it to enter into force on 1 May ". The signing of this historic Treaty, which took place during a special ceremony in Athens, represents one more important step towards European unification and a landmark event in the modern history of Cyprus. Until then Cyprus will participate as an active observer in the work and the institutions of the European Union.
In a statement issued by President Papadopoulos on the signing of the Treaty of Accession, the President noted: "The signing of the Accession Treaty constitutes a great and historic moment which seals indelibly Cyprus' future course. It constitutes at the same time the crowning achievement of a titanic effort by the Cyprus society and it is the landmark of its acceptance by a family to which it belongs geographically, historically, culturally, economically and politically.
This historic achievement acquires even greater significance if seen in the light of the special conditions of Cyprus, the tragedy of the invasion and the continued Turkish occupation of part of our country and its grave consequences.
Cyprus not only withstood the cataclysmic consequences of occupation, but today, despite the tremendous difficulties and obstacles posed in her way, has managed, through hard work, perseverance and patience, to attain the target of accession and now aspires to create the conditions that will overturn the facts of occupation and act as a catalyst for the achievement of a peaceful, lasting, viable, functional and just solution of the Cyprus problem for the benefit of all Cypriots and of peace, security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.
For the achievement of this historic result, the help and support of the Greek Government, the political leadership and the Greek people was of decisive importance.
0コメント