The vision of the Cyprus Presidency is one for a Better Europe, more hospitable, closer to its citizens, its neighbours and the world at large but also more efficient in facing today’s challenges. This is the message that the Logo of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union conveys, revealed today by the Deputy Minister for European Affairs Ambassador Mr. Andreas D. Mavroyiannis at a special ceremony held at the CYPRESS Media Centre of the FILOXENIA Conference Centre in Nicosia.
The Logo of the Cyprus Presidency is a concept and creation of the joint venture of “Partners”, which has also taken on the responsibility of developing the Presidency’s visual identity. This particular proposal was chosen after an invitation was opened to the public by the Press and Information Office on September 30, 2011.
In his speech on the presentation of the Logo, the Deputy Minister for European Affairs noted that the Cyprus Presidency Logo expresses “in a simple but eloquent manner the character ofCyprusas the country presiding the Council, using a language that is both familiar and easy to understand by all our European partners.” It depicts, he said, a distinct ship which sails towards Europe and “while it is sailing becomes a bird, the universal symbol of peace, the herald of the message we want to share with our partners: the vision for a Better Europe, dedicated to the fundamental principle of solidarity and a Europe which is in a position to face more effectively today’s challenges and ensure the cohesion of the European edifice, a Better Europe, more hospitable, which offers more to its citizens and neighbours.” As Mr. Mavroyiannis explained, the colour of the ship/bird is the blue colour of the EU, while its sails are “copper and green, colours inspired by our flag and the sun-bathed and dotted with olive trees copper producing land of Cyprus” and the “blue of the sea and the clear friendly sky, which provides cover for the harmonious co-existence of peoples, and also between man and the environment.” He added: “In this way, the Cyprus Presidency will afford the opportunity to theCypruscitizen to experience the feeling of his identity as a citizen of Europe and to contribute his stroke of the brush in building tomorrow’s Europe”.