Thoughts turn to Cyprus in July. Not for sun and sea, but the messy business of politics. So it is with the European People’s Party (EPP)’s MiniTrue propaganda video on the 50th anniversary of the 1974 Turkish ”invasion”. Watching the video, one gets the impression that Türkiye initiated an unprovoked attack on an existing EU […]
“We are ready to continue and expand our cooperation with the EU”, President Ersin Tatar told Mario Nava, the European Union Director-General for Structural Reform Support, in an online meeting on Thursday, 3 February. The Turkish Cypriot leader was discussing improving cooperation with the European Union (EU) through different projects that are designed to aid […]
A new funding initiative has been announced by the European Union to help Turkish Cypriots wanting to pursue higher and vocational education in an EU member state. Earlier this week, the European Commission announced details of its latest scholarship programme for “the Turkish Cypriot community” for the next academic year. The 2022/23 EU Scholarship scheme […]
Differences for those living in the north and south of Cyprus have come to the fore on multiple occasions during the coronavirus pandemic, and it does so again over the issue of Covid-19 vaccination certificates. With the United Kingdom choosing to keep Turkey on its high risk Red country list and Cyprus on the moderate Amber, […]
The world’s biggest retailer of modest fashion has criticised the European Court of Justice’s decision to uphold an employer’s right to ban religious garments, including headscarves. Modanisa claimed the decision “ will disproportionately impact Muslim women”. The ECJ said that its ruling, made last Thursday, 15 July, was to ensure all employees “dress neutrally”. “A […]
A fortnight ago, the European Commission adopted a package of measures to protect an important part of Cypriot heritage – its cheese. Called ‘hellim’ in Turkish, and ‘halloumi’ in Greek, this renowned Cypriot cheese was registered as a protected designation of origin (PDO), essentially banning the misuse of its name by imitation products across the […]
Eyebrows were raised as Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Council of Europe President Charles Michel took their seats, leaving European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen standing. The awkward start to the meeting on Tuesday between the European Union’s top two executives and the Turkish leader at the Turkish presidential palace in Ankara was captured […]
After years of disputes, Cypriot cheese – known in Turkish as hellim and in Greek as halloumi – has been granted Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status by the European Union. Member states “unanimously supported” the PDO proposals earlier today, which are applicable to “all parts of Cyprus”, according to a tweet by Elisa Ferreira, the European […]
Josep Borrell’s visit to the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus on Friday didn’t generate the results he was hoping for, after the Turkish Cypriot President Ersin Tatar rebuffed his efforts for the European Union to attend as observers at the upcoming Cyprus summit. President Tatar issued a statement following his 5 March meeting with the […]
The coronavirus vaccination programme in the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus (TRNC) continues to progress, with those aged 55-to-65 next in line for inoculation from the deadly virus. The TRNC received 2,000 Astra Zeneca Covid-19 vaccination jabs last Thursday, 18 Feb, as part of a larger batch sent to Cyprus by the European Union. TRNC […]
