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CYPRUS: A SUCCESSFUL EU PRESIDENCY BY A SMALL COUNTRY
The Cyprus Mail - 15 December 2013 -
CYPRUS managed to have a successful EU presidency despite its size
and economic problems, President Demetris Christofias said yesterday,
following the last European Council under his term.
"Cyprus has shown that despite its small geographical size and
despite its economic problems it held a quite successful presidency,"
Christofias said during a press conference that wrapped up the last
European Council of the Cypriot presidency that ends this month. "It
was indeed a very difficult task for us, a task however which I think
we have carried out with dignity."
Christofias said the European Council meeting was another step towards
the completion of the economic and monetary union, adding that there
was still a long way to go and the momentum had to be kept up.
"The decisions that have been made and the directions that have been
given will to a large extent define the course of the European Union in
the next years," he said. "The reform that is taking place with the aim
of more effective economic and financial governance also contributes
to facing faster the financial crisis that torments the Union."
The President stressed however that approaches must be balanced and
targeted to safeguard social cohesion.
"The economic and financial policies that is, must be formed in such
a way that unemployment and poverty are substantially addressed and
social exclusion is prevented," he said. "It is imperative that the
measures for fiscal consolidation are combined with measures that
promote social cohesion and the prosperity of European citizens."
European Commission President JosĪ¹ Manuel Barroso said there had
been some real achievements in the past six months.
"I will not quote all of them, but I think the Single Supervisory
Mechanism, Schengen governance, common asylum system are especially
important," Barroso said.
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy praised Cyprus'
contribution in successfully closing the matter of the European Patent
after decades.
"It is the happy end to a 40 year-long Odyssey. And if you allow
me to continue that image: even if we do not know for sure on which
Mediterranean island the historic Odysseus lived, for Europe, in the
patent case, our beloved "Ithaca" clearly is Cyprus."
The Cyprus Mail - 15 December 2013 -
CYPRUS managed to have a successful EU presidency despite its size
and economic problems, President Demetris Christofias said yesterday,
following the last European Council under his term.
"Cyprus has shown that despite its small geographical size and
despite its economic problems it held a quite successful presidency,"
Christofias said during a press conference that wrapped up the last
European Council of the Cypriot presidency that ends this month. "It
was indeed a very difficult task for us, a task however which I think
we have carried out with dignity."
Christofias said the European Council meeting was another step towards
the completion of the economic and monetary union, adding that there
was still a long way to go and the momentum had to be kept up.
"The decisions that have been made and the directions that have been
given will to a large extent define the course of the European Union in
the next years," he said. "The reform that is taking place with the aim
of more effective economic and financial governance also contributes
to facing faster the financial crisis that torments the Union."
The President stressed however that approaches must be balanced and
targeted to safeguard social cohesion.
"The economic and financial policies that is, must be formed in such
a way that unemployment and poverty are substantially addressed and
social exclusion is prevented," he said. "It is imperative that the
measures for fiscal consolidation are combined with measures that
promote social cohesion and the prosperity of European citizens."
European Commission President JosĪ¹ Manuel Barroso said there had
been some real achievements in the past six months.
"I will not quote all of them, but I think the Single Supervisory
Mechanism, Schengen governance, common asylum system are especially
important," Barroso said.
European Council President Herman Van Rompuy praised Cyprus'
contribution in successfully closing the matter of the European Patent
after decades.
"It is the happy end to a 40 year-long Odyssey. And if you allow
me to continue that image: even if we do not know for sure on which
Mediterranean island the historic Odysseus lived, for Europe, in the
patent case, our beloved "Ithaca" clearly is Cyprus."