European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso is expected to express on Wednesday the Commission’s political will to assist Cyprus in addressing the economic crisis and outline its readiness for greater involvement in the efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue.
President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades arrived on Tuesday in Brussels, accompanied by Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides, Finance Minister Harris Georgiades, Minister of Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism Yiorgos Lakkotrypis, Minister of Labour and Social Insurance Zeta Aimilianidou, Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment Nicos Kouyialis, Government Spokesman Christos Stylianides and Director of his Diplomatic Office Nicos Christodoulides.
On Wednesday morning Anastasiades will meet with the European Council President Herman Van Rompuy to discuss economic developments in Cyprus and the Cyprus issue.
Later on Anastasiades will have a private meeting with Barroso. Thereafter the two of them will go to the Commission plenary joined by the Cypriot President’s entourage. The meeting will be followed by a working lunch.
The agenda of the meeting includes the Cyprus issue, economic developments in Cyprus and the implementation of the adjustment program agreed with the Troika of international lenders, a Commission spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Anastasiades is expected to brief the College of Commissioners on the present situation in Cyprus and the efforts to embark on a meaningful dialogue that will create prospects to resolve the Cyprus issue. There will be an exchange of views on European policy issues, regional issues and economic, energy and youth employment matters.
The Ministers accompanying the President will have bilateral meetings with the Commissioners, responsible for their competency.
Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides will meet with the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the Commission Catherine Ashton.
Harris Georgiades, the Finance Minister, will meet with the Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Olli Rehn and the Commissioner for Competition Joaquin Almunia.
Energy, Commerce, Industry and Tourism Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis will meet with the Commissioner for Energy Guenther Oettinger, Commissioner for Research, Innovation and Science Máire Geoghegan-Quinn and Commissioner for Industry and Entrepreneurship Antonio Tajani.
Nicos Kouyialis, the Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment will meet with the European Commissioner for Climate Action Connie Hedegaard, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian CioloÃ…Ÿ and Health Commissioner Tonio Borg.
Labour and Social Insurance Minister Zeta Emilianides will have a meeting with the EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion László Andor.
Excluded from the international markets, Cyprus applied for financial assistance to cover its fiscal needs and to rescue its two largest bank hit severely by deteriorating assets amid the financial crisis and by the Greek sovereign debt haircut. The Cypriot authorities and the Troika (EC, ECB and the IMF) agreed last March on a €10 billion bailout, featuring haircut of uninsured deposits. So far Cyprus has received €4.7 billion.
The country has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. UN led efforts to reunify the island under a federal roof have failed so far. The negotiators of the two communities have been meeting in UN presence in the past few weeks in order to agree on a joint declaration for the resumption of the talks.
On Monday President Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu had an informal meeting, at the former’s initiative, which however failed to achieve a breakthrough in efforts to reach an agreement on a joint declaration.
