Press Release

Committee of the Regions

COR/09/21 Brussels, 20 February 2009

Van den Brande sees local authorities at the heart of the solution

Luc Van den Brande, President of the Committee of the Regions, has said he hopes that local authorities from both the Greek and Turkish communities in Cyprus will be at the heart of an eventual agreement on reunifying the divided island. Speaking during a visit to the Cypriot capital on Friday, Mr Van den Brande praised both communities for their work in finding shared solutions to problems affecting both sides of the divided city. "The time will come – and I hope it will be soon – to explain to your citizens the implications of an agreement reached on the future of Cyprus. You, as local politicians will be expected to be there, to talk, explain and support what has been achieved in the interests of your community. The involvement of local politicians is fundamental for building the necessary support for a sustainable solution." Mr Van den Brande, who along with the heads of the CoR's four political groups, was invited to visit the city by mayor Eleni Mavrou, said he was in no doubt that a united Cyprus would play a strong role in the EU. "I am sure that your two communities are ready to work together in a Europe which has made diversity and plurality a source of richness, progress, dialogue and partnership," he said. The CoR delegation met with Cypriot President Demetris Christofias early on Friday morning. Mr Christofias welcomed the CoR initiative aimed at "confidence-building measures for the two communities of Nicosia" and said the CoR's approach was "honest, polite and based on principles". He added that he fully supported the creation by the CoR of the ARLEM initiative – the assembly of local and regional authorities of the Mediterranean region proposed by Mr Van den Brande after last year's launch of the new Union for the Mediterranean under the French EU Presidency. Visting Ledra Street, the iconic route through the heart of Nicosia which was reopened in April last year for the first time since 1974, uniting the two communities, Mr Van den Brande said it was testament to the fact that "it is possible to turn a place of tears into a place of hope, to turn a hostage of history into a place of freedom". In October 2008 the Committee decided to designate one of its reception areas as "Open Ledra Street" as a permanent recognition of the efforts of the local authorities from both communities to work for a sustainable and peaceful solution to the Cyprus issue. A replica of the Open Ledra Street name plaque offered to the city of Nicosia by the CoR is on display in the UN-controlled buffer-zone on the real Ledra Street. During the visit to the buffer-zone, Mr Van den Brande met with Cemal Bulutoglulari before being awarded the Medal of the City of Nicosia by Mrs Mavrou. The delegation then toured various projects co-financed by the EU, including several managed jointly by the two communities. Note to editors: For more than 10 years the CoR has given its strong support to both communities in Cyprus to contribute to a peaceful solution of the division of the country. Former CoR President Jos Chabert visited the country in 2000 to talk about accession to the EU, and in 2002 the CoR established a joint consultative committee which brought together local representatives of both communities of the island.

EN In October 2004 the then CoR President Peter Straub accepted an official invitation by the first national CoR delegation from Cyprus and held official meetings with the State President, government, the President of the national parliament and local authorities of the country to talk about the possible ways forward after the negative referendum on reunification in the southern part of the island on 24 April 2004. The Republic of Cyprus entered the European Union on 1 May 2004. The Cypriot CoR delegation comprises six full members and six alternates. Luc Van den Brande invited both Greek and Turkish representatives to address the Committee's Plenary session in October 2008. The work of the two communities is also recognised in the recent opinion by CoR member Eleni Loucaides, who is herself from Nicosia, on city diplomacy and the role that local authorities can play in conflict resolution. Visit the CoR's website: www.cor.europa.eu The Committee of the Regions Around two-thirds of EU legislation is implemented by local and regional authorities in the Member States. The Committee of the Regions was created in 1994 to give representatives of local government a say over the content of these laws. The CoR organises five plenary sessions a year, where its 344 members vote on opinions issued in response to proposed legislation. The European Commission, which initiates EU laws, and the Council of Ministers, which determines the final content of the legislation (usually in tandem with the ), are obliged to consult the CoR on a wide range of policy areas including the environment, employment and transport. The Lisbon Treaty will strengthen the position of the Committee of the Regions further. In future, the Committee must be consulted by the European Parliament on all issues that are important for regions and municipalities. The Committee can also appeal to the EU Court of Justice if its rights are infringed or it believes that an EU law violates the subsidiarity principle or fails to respect regional or local powers. For more information, please contact: Chris Jones Tel. + 32 (0)2 546 8751 [email protected] To read previous press releases, click here.