Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-11-16-Speech-4-154"
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"en.20061116.21.4-154"2
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"Mr President, we have been waiting for quite a long time for the oral question on Varosha, in the Famagusta area, to appear on the European Parliament’s agenda. It so happens that we are debating matters related to the Committee on Petitions for the second time today. This morning, our committee presented its report on the European Ombudsman's report.
On 27 February 2006, the General Affairs Council decided to call on the Commission to undertake further efforts in the field of direct trade for the benefit of the Turkish Cypriot communities, on the basis of negotiations which took place during the Luxembourg presidency, when the matter of the closed area of Varosha and the port was raised, together with matters relating to free trade. At the same time, it was also said that this part of Famagusta, Varosha, is not currently being used. It is an incredibly painful situation for the displaced inhabitants and their descendants. It also makes the economic regeneration of the town difficult and it does nothing to build trust between the Cypriot communities. What action, then, does the Commission intend to take in connection with the above-mentioned decision, to ensure that the closed area of Famagusta can be returned to its rightful inhabitants?.
Mr President, this House has, on numerous occasions, debated issues in this House related to Cyprus, Turkey and the problems caused by the Turkish aggression against Cyprus. This petition, and the oral question resulting from it, addresses this very problem, which is a fundamental issue for that part of Europe and has consequences for the whole of the European Union. That is why I would be very grateful not only for an answer on this issue, but also to see the proposals put forward by various European bodies, as well as the demands of the authors of the petition, being implemented.
The matter is important, as the solution will, for Turkish, Greek and Cypriot society at large, serve to indicate how effectively the European bodies can resolve problems related to the hopes of European citizens.
Mr President, Commissioner, I would very much like to request a response and I hope that this response will satisfy the authors of the petitions, as well as the Committee on Petitions and the European Parliament.
I am very pleased that, although we have been waiting for a long time to discuss these two items, they have both been raised on the same day. It is with great satisfaction that, since we are describing the Committee on Petitions as a body that is intended to bring the European Union institutions closer to the citizens, we can today discuss a very important petition. I am also very pleased that some of the authors of the petition are here in the Chamber, and are sitting in the gallery. I am pleased to welcome Mr Afxentiou and Mr Christofidis who, as I have mentioned, are two of the authors of the petition and are listening to the debate today.
Mr President, the decision to table an oral question was taken in our committee at its meeting on 14 July 2005. The authors of the petition, including those who are here today, were also present at that meeting. They represent an organisation which is very important in Cyprus, and is called the
. This movement was created in 1976 by the displaced inhabitants of Famagusta. Unfortunately, the European Parliament deferred the discussion a number of times. This resulted in significant delays to the staging of today’s debate. In the meantime, the whole problem has taken on even greater urgency.
The authors of the petition stressed that 30 years have passed since Famagusta was occupied by the Turkish army and the district of the town known as Varosha was closed off. When presenting their problems and their petition during our committee meeting, the authors of the petition pointed out that Varosha, which has become a complete ghost town, is causing a great rift between the displaced inhabitants and their descendants. It is an obstacle to the general economic revitalisation of the town and is doing nothing to promote better understanding between the communities in Cyprus.
The authors of the petition propose in particular that Varosha should be returned to its original inhabitants, under regulations to be adopted by the international community, and in particular by the European Union. The authors of the petition declare their support for attempts to help Turkish Cypriots who, from a legal and social point of view, form an integral part of Cyprus. They also express concerns regarding the regulations which have been implemented, and which favour the Turkish Cypriot community. Their concerns relate to the fact that these measures are causing isolation and disassociation from the underlying strategy which aims to reunite Cyprus.
The authors of the petition stressed that, although this objective is contained in the explanatory statement in the Council regulation, which aims to create a financial aid instrument to foster the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community, this package intends to facilitate the reunification of Cyprus by supporting economic and social development, focussing particularly on economic integration.
There has been no consistent policy to achieve these aims. For their part, the authors of the petition propose, first and foremost, measures to facilitate the promotion of trade and tourism, which could increase the prosperity of the community and improve its financial situation, as well as making full use of the potential of the port of Famagusta, which would then result in the regeneration of the whole surrounding region.
The authors of the petition also proposed that part of the European Union funding earmarked for providing support to Turkish Cypriots should be paid into a special fund managed by a non-governmental organisation, in which both communities would be equal stakeholders, under the auspices of the European Union and the supervision of the European Commission. They also proposed that these funds should be earmarked for renovating, modernising and making use of the port of Famagusta.
The Committee on Petitions has, on behalf of the authors, addressed a question to the European Commission asking what instruments the Commission intends to use to ensure that the issues raised by the authors of the petition are resolved."@en1
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"Famagusta Refugees Movement"1
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