The European Commissioner, Corina Cretu, during her visit to Cyprus and after her meeting with Mr. Christoforos Fokaides – Minister of Defence and Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs announced:
”I would like to congratulate the Cypriot authorities for the work done so far: the smooth implementation of the programming period 2007-2013 and the fact that all strategic documents for the programming period 2014-2020 have been approved on time.
Now it is necessary to ensure the successful closure of the programming period 2007-2013 and the effective activation of the programming period 2014-2020.
Commission and I personally stand ready to assist the Cypriot authorities in their efforts for the recovery of economy, by assisting the development of the island’s real economy and creating new job opportunities.
The European Commission fully supports the reunification of Cyprus. As the political aspects are in president Juncker’s hands, the challenge for me, as a Commissioner for Regional Policy, is to help Turkish Cypriot economic development. This includes preparing Turkish Cypriots for the implementation of the acquis, in the perspective of the island’s reunification.”
