EU Commissioner Maarten Verwey, who is Director General of the Structural Reform Support Service, met with President Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci in the UN buffer zone, on Wednesday.
After the meeting, he said that significant progress had been made in the Commission’s work in Cyprus, despite limitations posed in certain areas and not having the EU acquis apply throughout the entire island.
“I believe that we now have a far better understanding of the level of preparedness for the EU of the Turkish Cypriot Community than before,” he said.
Verwey, was an advisor to [South] Cyprus at the time of the bailout, said he came to meet the two leaders following their joint request to EU Commission President Jean Claude Juncker in mid-2015.
The Commission has organised many meetings and missions to Cyprus, with over 200 officials and experts assisting the bicommunal ad hoc committee for EU preparation, Verwey said.
“From our side, we stand ready to continue our support through Commission experts, deploying technical assistance upon request, involving private sector experts and Member State officials and assisting with analysis and advice in partnership with other international actors,” he said.
“This is an ongoing effort,” he added.
Cyprus Weekly