Turkish Cypriot
Chamber of Commerce

Brussels Representation Newsletter
 

ISSUE 2, JUNE 2013

The European Commission adopts the annual report 2012 on the implementation of the Green Line Regulation.

Intra-island trade in Cyprus decreases

The ninth annual report 2012 on the implementation of the Green Line Regulation has been adopted by the European Commission and will be presented to the EU Council for approval on June 11, 2013.

One of the most important findings underlined in the Report is the decrease in trade volume between the two parts of Cyprus mainly due to a number of obstacles existing in the Green Line trade. The Green Line Regulation was put into force by the European Union following the membership of a divided Cyprus into the EU which suspended the acquis communautaire in Northern Cyprus until the comprehensive resolution of the Cyprus problem

The Green Line Regulation was put into force by the European Union following the membership of a divided Cyprus into the EU which suspended the acquis communautaire in Northern Cyprus until the comprehensive resolution of the Cyprus problem. This has forced the EU to regulate the crossing of people, goods and services from the non-acquis North to the South of the island where EU law is fully applied. Owing to its internationally-recognized legal personality, KTTO was designated as the institutional partner of the European Commission in the implementation of the Regulation.

Although the Green Line Regulation was not designed to serve the sustainable economic development of Northern Cyprus, it has created room for trade from the North to the South of the island. KTTO has been trying to maximize this trade potential with Southern Cyprus not only for the benefit of the Turkish Cypriot businesses but also with the strong belief that the more Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots trade with each other, the more they will be able to build mutual trust and a common vision among themselves towards a peaceful and unified new Cyprus.

The European Commission has been presenting its assessment and recommendations on the implementation of the Regulation in its annual reports. Commenting on this year’s report, KTTO President Günay Çerkez stated: The report reflects our concerns regarding a number of problems faced in the implementation of the Regulation. The refusal of the Greek Cypriot authorities to allow the crossing of commercial vehicles from the North to the South, for instance, remains a big obstacle for trade. Our demands for amending the Regulation to allow the trade of dairy products and farm fish have been reported. It is also important that the Report recognizes the ongoing psychological barriers in the Greek Cypriot Community as even 9 years after the start of Green Line trade, not a single Greek Cypriot supermarket has accepted to put Turkish Cypriot products on their shelves and not a single media outlet has accepted paid advertising for Turkish Cypriot products. This is a very worrying phenomenon which has naturally decreased the volume of trade and needs to be tackled seriously.

For further information on the Green Line Regulation, please click here.
 

 

 

About Us

Established in 1958, the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce (KTTO) is an internationally-recognized organization, representing the Turkish Cypriot business community at home and abroad.  READ MORE

Copyright © 2013 Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce (KTTO) Brussels Representation, All rights reserved.
You are receiving this email because you are interested in the economic development of Northern Cyprus.

Our mailing address is:

Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce (KTTO) Brussels Representation

Avenue des Arts, 19 A/D

Brussels 1000

Belgium