Commissioner Verheugen's statement on Cyprus

"The Commission welcomes and supports the efforts of the good offices and the personal involvement of the UNSG Kofi Annan to solve the Cyprus problem. The presentation by the UN Secretary General of a proposal for a comprehensive settlement is a courageous and important step to which the European Union should lend its full support. The Commission hopes that it will contribute to bridge the gaps between the two communities and lead to a settlement before the Copenhagen Summit.

The European Union has repeatedly expressed its preference for a reunited Cyprus to join the European Union on the basis of a comprehensive settlement, and urged the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities to seize the opportunity and reach an agreement before the end of the accession negotiations this year. The European Union has also stated that it will accommodate such a comprehensive settlement in the Treaty of Accession in line with the principles on which the European Union is founded.

We are now indeed entering a decisive phase as the accession negotiations are coming to an end. Cyprus is among the ten countries for which the conclusion of the negotiations is recommended. The key reference for the EU in relation to the decision on Cyprus' accession are the conclusions of the Helsinki European Council in 1999. All efforts should be undertaken to make use of the very limited time left and to bring the process to a positive outcome so that the accession negotiations would indeed have served as a catalyst for a settlement."

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