Cyprus EU presidency hopes for “better Europe”

The vision of the six-month Cyprus presidency of the EU Council starting on July 1, is one for “a Better Europe, more hospitable, but also more efficient in facing today’s challenges”, the head of the organising committee said on Wednesday.
Deputy Minister for European Affairs Ambassador Andreas Mavroyiannis revealed the presidency’s new logo at a ceremony held at the press centre in Nicosia and said that the new emblem expresses “the character of Cyprus using a language that is both familiar and easy to understand by all our European partners.” It depicts, he said, a ship which sails towards Europe and “while it is sailing becomes a bird, the universal symbol of peace.”
The colour of the ship and bird is the dark blue of the EU, while its sails are copper and green, colours inspired by the Cyprus flag’s olive branches and the copper producing history of the land. The light blue is that of the sea and the clear friendly sky.
In a speech read by the government spokesman, President Demetris Christofias highlighted the importance of the day, since “Europe Day, May 9, the anniversary of the Schuman Declaration marks the beginning of a new era, five years after the great anti-fascist victory of the peoples which put an end to the Second World War – the darkest page in the history of our continent. Today’s anniversary also determines the imperative need, which is also a top political priority, for the existence of continuous peace and unceasing cooperation among the nations of Europe.”
The new logo was conceived by the “Partners” joint venture, which also has the responsibility to develop the presidency’s visual identity, explained Elias Antoniades, general manager of the advertising agency pr:partners Ltd.