Increase in Green Line trade and registration of Halloumi as PDO 'among EU reunification achievements'

The growing trade between the two communities of Cyprus as well as the registration of Halloumi as an EU Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) for the entire island, were two of the main ways in which the EU contributed to efforts to reunify the island in the past five years.

This was according to an overview publication of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Structural Reform Support, outlining the activities of the Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community.

The publication, titled “Delivering on EU Support for a Cyprus Settlement: Legacy and Vision”, which was released on 19 July, focuses on the role of the EU Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community and the EU’s Green Line Regulation in facilitating Cyprus’ reunification.

The aid programme “is a key EU instrument to bring Turkish Cypriots closer to the EU, facilitate Cyprus’ reunification and support the UN-facilitated settlement process” said Elisa Ferreira, European Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms.

Through the programme, the EU “has encouraged exchange and cooperation between the two communities, bringing them closer to each other” she continued, adding that the publication “reflects what we have accomplished, but our joint work symbolises more than that”.

This work, she stressed, “is a strong call for continued cooperation between the two communities and for a brighter future of a reunited Cyprus within the EU”.

In particular, the Aid Programme has contributed to increasing trade across the Green Line in Cyprus to 16 million euro in 2023, which is an almost four-fold increase compared to the annual results recorded until 2020.

The registration of Halloumi / Hellim as a PDO in 2021 meanwhile is the first PDO that covers production across Cyprus, including in the Turkish Cypriot community. Once the Turkish Cypriot community reaches compliance with EU food safety and animal health standards, Turkish Cypriot producers will be able to sell the PDO - protected cheese across the Green Line in the EU market.

The economic potential is significant according to the publication, which points out that the EU Halloumi / Hellim market was worth 115 million euro in 2023.

The report also highlights how the EU Aid programme has provided opportunities to young Turkish Cypriots through scholarships for university studies in the EU, and funded confidence-building measures such as the bicommunal restoration and preservation of Cyprus’ shared cultural heritage.

The publication also emphasises the EU’s role in promoting the socio-economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community and in improving living conditions through support for the private sector as well as measures enhancing the quality of education and infrastructure projects protecting the environment.

It also includes testimonies of people who have benefited from EU funded projects or contributed to their implementation, including many bicommunal initiatives.

Since 2006, the EU has allocated close to 700 million euro to the EU Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community and projects aiming to support the reunification of Cyprus.

The publication is available in English (and shortly in Greek and Turkish) at the link https://commission.europa.eu/publications/delivering-eu-support-cyprus-settlement-legacy-and-vision_en on the website of the European Commission.

(Source: CNA)