Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 11-10-18

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From: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>

CONTENTS

[01] MAVROYIANNIS - CYPRUS EU PRESIDENCY - CYPRUS ISSUE

[02] PRESIDENT - BAN - BARROSO

[03] COMMISSIONER - PERSONAL DATA - INTERVIEW

[04] CA FLIGHTS - CANCELLATION - GREECE

[01] MAVROYIANNIS - CYPRUS EU PRESIDENCY - CYPRUS ISSUE

Speaking during a seminar on the Perspectives of the Trio Presidency at the University of Nicosia, Mavroyiannis referred to Turkish threats to freeze ties with the EU during the Cypriot Presidency, pointing out that our objective and our deliberate and firm position is to act during the presidency in a purely presidential manner, not allowing our national problem to define our Presidency or to infiltrate the way we are dealing with issues.

He also said that Cyprus will not allow its EU Presidency to be jeopardized by the Cyprus problem. We are going to run a fully fledged presidency and we are going to be serious, responsible, reliable in spite of our problem Mavroyiannis said.

He added that the Cyprus problem will not be put aside, but we are going to keep two separate tracks, noting that this is of fundamental importance to Cyprus.

Speaking on the Presidency preparations, Mavroyiannis noted that so far significant progress has been achieved in various areas. He added that the Trio Presidency 18-month program of Poland, Denmark and Cyprus is already in place, saying that this constitutes the basis for Cyprus own Presidency program.

Moreover, he said that the chairmen of the Council Working Groups have been already selected and that the majority of them have been posted to the Permanent Representation in Brussels.

Mavroyiannis also noted that Cyprus plans to host around fifteen informal Council Meetings during the Presidency, adding that a provisional schedule of events already exists.

On the Presidency infrastructure, he noted that the conference and press centre in Nicosia are being renovated, with work progressing at a satisfactory pace. As Mavroyiannis said, infrastructure work is expected to be completed by the end of January 2012. Mavroyiannis noted that the Presidency will be a very big challenge for the state engine, adding that the challenge becomes even greater in times of financial austerity.

He said finally that the weight of the challenge has been easier to manage due to the transition of the Trio Presidency and the constructive cooperation with the Trio partners.

Andreas Theophanous, Director of the Cyprus Center for European and International Affairs at the University of Nicosia, said Cyprus aspires to line up to the challenge of the EU Presidency successfully, adding that it will be essential for Cyprus to enlist the solidarity of its partners. He said moreover that the government should engage the whole society to achieve a successful outcome.

Theophanous said that it is essential for Cyprus to grasp the broader context of the serious economic crisis Europe is going through, along with the debt crisis and the problem of unemployment. Under such difficult circumstances, he said, it was imperative to understand how to take the debate on the future of Europe forward.

He said moreover that it is questionable whether there can be a monetary union without a fiscal union in the long run and added that the Cyprus Center has been working on the concept of maintaining a 3% deficit as an average over a period of time and not annually.

Other speakers at the seminar included the Polish Ambassador to Cyprus Pawel Dobrowolski, Elvire Fabry, Senior Research Fellow at Notre Europe in France and Ulla Holm, Senior Research Fellow at the Danish Institute for International Studies.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Turkey does not recognise the Republic of Cyprus and has said it will not talk to Nicosia, when it assumes the Trio EU Presidency, in the second half of 2012.

[02] PRESIDENT - BAN - BARROSO

According to an official press release issued Tuesday, the Cypriot President discussed with the UNSG about his forthcoming meeting with Ban Ki - moon and Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu in New York end of this month, as well as about the course of the UN - led Cyprus talks.

Moreover, President Christofias held a telephone conversation with the European Commission President with whom he exchanged views about Sunday`s European Council in Brussels and more particularly about Greece`s debt crisis and financial intergovernance in the Eurozone and the EU in general.

[03] COMMISSIONER - PERSONAL DATA - INTERVIEW

The office of the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection in Cyprus was established in 2001 to deal with the protection of personal information against unauthorized and illegal collection, in addition to recording date and using further.

The Office grants the individual certain rights, including the right to information, and gives them the possibility to submit to the Office complaints relating to the application of the Law.

On September 27, Yiannos Danielides was appointed as the new Commissioner. In an interview with CNA, Danielides acknowledged that there is a need to make the public more aware of the Commissioners role in Cyprus.

He explains the risk that we run regarding the protection of personal data when accessing the internet and social networking websites. Danielides analyses some of the most important problems his Office has to deal with.

Asked about his plans, the Commissioner says that in due time he will try to see where the Office has got to and what needs to be done regarding peoples perception of the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection.

I truly believe that we are lagging behind. People do not know what exactly is the role of the Commissioner for Personal Data Protection, he remarks.

The full text of the interview can be found in CNA`s website under "Special Issues, Analyses".

[04] CA FLIGHTS - CANCELLATION - GREECE

According to a press release, a total of ten flights have been cancelled and arrangements are being made for the passengers to travel after the end of the strike, with extra flights on Friday.

Furthermore, some passengers have opted to fly on Tuesday, before the strike begins, while others have already said they would be flying a few days after the strike.

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