A new voice in Brussels
 

The TCCoC Brussels Representation was established on 19 September 2005, at a time when the Turkish Cypriots were experiencing serious difficulties in voicing their demands and concerns, without representation on any EU platform, despite being key figures in the Cyprus problem. With the vision of representing the interests of the Turkish Cypriot business people, channeling the voice of civil society to Brussels, and working on activities contributing towards the development of the Turkish Cypriot economy, the Brussels Representation is active in three main dimensions in collaboration with our Chamber in Nicosia.

Target: North Cyprus without embargoes
As the official partner of the European Commission in the implementation of the Green Line Regulation, the TCCoC conducts lobbying activities at EU level regarding the Green Line Regulation and the Financial Aid and Direct Trade Directives, all of which are closely related to the future of the Turkish Cypriot people and its economy. It draws attention to the inadequacies of the Greenline Trade and its need for improvement, and underlines the fact that this tool alone falls short of bringing sustainable economic development to the Turkish Cypriot people.

The TCCoC Brussels Representation continues to remind the EU of its promises to lift the isolations on North Cyprus on the results of the Annan referenda. It lobbies for the adoption and effective implementation of the Financial Aid and Direct Trade Directives and emphasizes the vital importance of opening Turkish Cypriot airports to direct international flights in order to ensure the long term sustainable development of the Turkish Cypriot economy.

Target: A “European” Chamber
As a Chamber of Commerce, the TCCoC Brussels Representation aims to establish new contacts and improve existing relations with other Chambers of Commerce and economic organizations, examining their interactions with the EU and benchmarking their strengths in order to serve the Turkish Cypriot business people better.

Target: Serving the Turkish Cypriot civil society
TCCoC Brussels Representation aims to bring the larger Turkish Cypriot civil society closer to the EU by contributing towards the representation of other Turkish Cypriot NGOs in the European arena, through its internationally recognized status and its increasing network of contacts in Brussels. With this vision, our Representation is happy to offer services to NGOs in North Cyprus in their dealings with Brussels, including helping with the establishment of liaisons with other NGOs in Brussels which are involved in similar activities; providing full logistical support during their stay in Brussels (internet, phone, fax, hotel and appointment arrangements, translation/interpretation, etc); distributing their publications to appropriate contact points in Brussels; and informing them of conferences, seminars, educational courses and fairs in their areas of work; and providing information on the EU structure, decision-making mechanisms and policies in general. Within this framework, the Representation conducted joint meetings with the Guzelyurt Economic Development Foundation and the Cyprus Turkish Chamber of Industry in March 2006, and provided logistical support to the London-based human rights organisation Embargoed! as well as the 13 Turkish Cypriot NGOs during their peaceful demonstration in Brussels calling for the lifting of the isolations in April 2006.

All the NGOs who have had the opportunity to get to know the EU system better by conducting meetings in Brussels have sadly observed how the Greek Cypriot side, in the absence of the Turkish Cypriots, have been shaping the playing field to their advantage for years. They are agreed on the importance of the TCCoC’s presence in Brussels and of increasing such lobby activities.

Brussels: the hotspot for lobbyists
Today we have an EU which has embraced the concept of “civil society”. In fact, the EU officials themselves need to be well informed on matters they are working on as well as on the possible consequences of their planned decisions. With this aim, the EU has systematised a dialogue process where the EU institutions and the civil society can mutually consult each other. This is why Brussels has become a hotspot for lobbyists. According to some research, there are around 50,000 lobbyists working in the corridors of Brussels, ranging from third world country missions to McDonalds, representing a wide spectrum of interests. For instance, there are around 5,000 lobbyists including the TCCoC Brussels Representation, who are accredited to the European Parliament, enjoying easy entrance to the Parliament to observe meetings and to brief Members of the European Parliament (MEP) on their specific cases.

As an NGO working in Brussels with that mission, we are pleased to observe that the positive impression we leave on the parties we meet is reflected in their sympathy towards the Turkish Cypriot cause. For instance, some time ago an MEP contacted our Representation to ask for information on some of the obligations and current applications of the Greek Cypriot side regarding the implementation of the Green Line Regulation. The MEP stated that he could have consulted the Greek Cypriot Permanent Representation in Brussels, but that he was not sure of the reliability of the information he would have got which was why he preferred to contact the TCCoC Brussels Representation. This small example conveys an important implication. Considering how the Greek Cypriot voice has long been held as the “the absolute truth” in the international arena, it implies the development of the idea that now there may be “a new alternative truth and reality”.

TCCoC as a contact point in Brussels
It is equally important to inform and win over those neutral parties who are interested in the Cyprus issue. The TCCoC has been slowly contributing to this end. Our Representation has now become a common contact point for NGOs, the media, and students doing research on Cyprus. It is a particularly positive development to see that those we have informed about the realities of the island are now actively participating at conferences involving Cyprus, challenging those participants who deny the realities with their pro-Turkish Cypriot comments and questions. Similarly, a Brussels-based NGO, who has started learning about the Cyprus issue in close cooperation with the TCCoC, recently paid a visit to Cyprus to research more deeply towards a project that will fairly reflect the realities of the island. In this sense, it is pleasing to see the spill-over effect of the “civil society diplomacy” we are pursuing.

Not spectator but player
We have been witnessing the benefits the referendum results are bringing to Turkish Cypriots. The EU players are now leaving the “intransigent Turkish side” rhetoric behind, are starting to see the hidden face of the Greek Cypriot politics, and are beginning to listen to and understand the concerns and demands of the Turkish Cypriot side. It is surely disappointing to see that promises such as the Direct Trade Regulation are yet to be delivered thanks to the Greek Cypriot veto in the high level decision-making organs of the EU. Nevertheless, although we cannot directly eliminate vetoes as NGOs, what we can and need to do is to take full advantage of this momentum by improving our relations with those influential players, communicating to them the voice from the grassroots and establishing links of trust and sincerity.

In his speech at the opening of the TCCoC Brussels Representation on 19 September 2005, Prime Minister Ferdi Sabit Soyer drew an analogy between the current position of the Turkish Cypriots and “football supporters who have to climb trees to be able to watch the game of their own team”, and underlined the desire of the Turkish Cypriots to buy tickets to watch, and even better, play the game inside the stadium. With its vision and mission of a comprehensive Cypriot settlement and the EU, the TCCoC has become familiar with the playing field in Brussels, is getting to better know the complex lobbying labyrinths of the EU, and has prepared a base to build on in order to be more proactive in helping to bring the Turkish Cypriots into the stadium.

Mualla Cirakli, TCCoC Brussels Representative