Cyprus is for us a very important member state in its geographical location, said Ursula von der Leyen.
Cyprus plays a very important role for the European Union with its deep knowledge of the Middle East, said Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Kathimerini, citing as an example her visit next week to Lebanon with the President, Nikos Christodoulidis.
In an interview with media from member states that joined the Union in 2004, including Kathimerini, Ms von der Leyen said that “it is amazing what the Cypriots have achieved with the sea corridor for humanitarian aid in northern Gaza”, adding that the first ship that delivered goods was the first since 2005 to make the route from Cyprus to Gaza again. “Cyprus is for us a very important member state in its geographical position,” he said.
Cypriot and Turkey
Referring to the Cyprus issue, she spoke of Cyprus' progress and influence, referring to the “good Conclusions” of the last European Council, “which emphasized that the approach to Turkey must be gradual, proportional and reversible”. This, he continued, “also shows that there is a road map for the next steps and it is important that the entire European Union supports Cyprus”. Something she herself considers important for strengthening Cyprus's position in the negotiations with Turkey.
Referring to how the EU can influence Turkey, Ms von der Leyen recalled that “we have a wide network of relations with Turkey and Turkey also has an interest in a good cooperation with the European Union, first and foremost if we look at the economy ” as the EU is “an attractive and necessary market” for the country which gives it “a strong incentive.”
There are, he continued, many things going on, “always with a very clear understanding that we know that a of our member states, Cyprus has issues with Turkey and we stand by Cyprus”.
Enlargement of 2004
For the President of the Commission, the enlargement of 2004 was “one of the amazing success stories of the European idea, leaving behind the shadows of the past and opening the door” to the ten new member states. “We are more than a union,” he said, referring to the EU as “our common home” where “we met again.” The President of the Commission underlined that the biggest gain of enlargement concerns citizens who can now travel, work and study “across borders that no longer exist”, making special reference to the fact that in the last 20 years, 2.7 million students from the 2004 enlargement states have taken advantage of Erasmus for their studies.
At the same time, he continued, there has been a big boost to EU economies, with intra-Union trade growing by 40% over the past 20 years, while in the member states that joined in 2004, six million jobs were created in the same period and the unemployment rate has halved.
