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.
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