Today is a historic and proud moment for the Republic of Cyprus. From now, and for the following six months, our country takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Our goal: to contribute, through this Presidency, to the process of European integration, to the “ever closer union” of states and people across Europe.
We have been preparing for years. The entire Government and civil service, and the political leadership, the local authorities and, more importantly, the citizens of Cyprus, have been mobilized for the preparation of an efficient and successful Presidency; a Presidency that will highlight the role of our country as a constructive partner and a reliable member of the European Union.
Cyprus is a small country, one of the smallest in the European family. At the same time we are highly motivated and ready to work, and we have every reason to succeed. As the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schultz, stated during his visit to Cyprus, there are no small and big Presidencies, there are successful and not successful– and the Cyprus Presidency will be a successful one, with the central message and primary goal of working “Towards a Better Europe”.
The role of the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union is to facilitate consensus among the member states, and with the institutions of the European Union. Through this role of an “honest broker” we will move forward those decisions which will help the European Union exit the crisis, and strengthen its position in the international scene.
The citizen is at the centre of our efforts. In these difficult times, the European Union cannot be cut-off from the ordinary people. It is our duty to find solutions to social problems, to promote social cohesion, growth and jobs.
At the same time, we must turn our sights beyond Europe. The economic and financial crisis should not lead to an introvert Union. If there is one thing that the current crisis has shown us, is exactly that: we are not isolated from the rest of the world; international developments and especially developments in our “neighbourhood” affect us directly. That is the reason why the policy of enlargement, the improvement of relations with the countries of our southern neighbourhood, and the promotion of the development goals of the EU are main priorities of the Cyprus Presidency.
The fundamental values and principles of the European Union: democracy, freedom, solidarity, equality, respect for human rights and rule of law, constitute the basis of all our efforts.
Today, on the first day of the Cyprus Presidency, it is important to reflect on what this semester means for us. In order to realize the meaning of this Presidency we need to remember that, for many years, Cyprus found the doors shut, in its efforts to join the EU; to recall that some countries even claimed that our country could not join the EU before the solution of the Cyprus issue. We should not forget that, even today, Turkey’s aim is to question Cyprus’ rights as a sovereign and independent state and a member of the EU. That is why the conclusion of an efficient, and, therefore, successful Presidency, is of crucial importance for the standing of our country in the Union.
We are witnessing today a historic moment for Cyprus and its course as member of the European Union – a moment of pride because our country, a country that has gone through so many problems and difficulties, is taking over its rights and responsibilities as the President of the Council of the European Union. We are ready. The Cyprus Presidency has begun.