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It is important that corrective changes are made concerning the distribution and re-distribution of the produced wealth, the President of the Republic Mr Demetris Christofias stressed today, addressing the College of Commissioners of the EU. He added that the present way of distribution leads large groups of the population to poverty and social misery. He also noted that economic development with social cohesion is the model that Cyprus is proposing in order to get out of the crisis.
Addressing the deliberations of the Plenary of the College of Commissioners with the Cyprus delegation – comprising of the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mrs Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis, the Acting Minister of Finance, Minister of Communications and Works Mr Efthemios Flourentzou, Minister of the Interior Mr Neoklis Sylikiotis, Minister of Commerce, Industry and Tourism Mrs Praxoula Antoniadou, Minister of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment Mr Sophoclis Aletraris, Minister of Labour and Social Insurance Mrs Sotiroula Charalambous, Government Spokesman Mr Stefanos Stefanou and the Deputy Minister for EU Affairs Mr Andreas Mavroyiannis – President Christofias said the following:
“I would first like to express my sincere thanks to the President of the Commission, Mr Barroso for his warm welcome and for the opportunity given to us to make this very important visit to the seat of the College of the Commission. It is indeed a great honour and pleasure to have this meeting which is held in the framework of the close and continuous cooperation between the members of the Commission and the members of the Cyprus Government and the administrations surrounding us.
In this framework, allow me, Mr President, to reiterate also before the members of the College, the clear political will of my Government for continuous cooperation and coordination with you personally and with the members of the College of Commissioners as well as with other Institutions of our Union, especially the European Parliament, in order to achieve our common goals for a better Europe, which will mean more to its citizens, a Europe of economic development and innovation, solidarity, social cohesion and welfare.
Undoubtedly, our Union is going through a serious socioeconomic crisis with negative implications to our institutional unity.
The support, however, of the cohesion and unity of member states is imperative. It is certain that together we can manage better. It is imperative however to make a bold analysis of the substance, of the depth and breadth of the socioeconomic crisis.
All measures taken in recent years proved ineffective due to the analysis of the crisis based on the beaten track which makes us blame only the speculators and the markets. It seems that the model of the absolute and dogmatic anchor on the freedom of the market, without any social control has failed. The transition from the buy and sell of products of the real economy to the money trade is one more factor which should raise concern as one of the causes of the present crisis.
It is important that corrective changes are made regarding the distribution and re-distribution of the produced wealth. The present way of distribution leads large groups of the population to poverty and social misery. A fairer re-distribution of the produced income, a consistent and more human-orientated social policy combined with the correct political support of small and medium-sized enterprises will lead to higher employment and to the much talked-about social cohesion.
At his point, allow me, Mr President, to make special reference to your presentation during the informal European Council of 30th January and to praise your points and suggestions to the Heads of State and Government of our Union.
Undoubtedly, especially in the recent past, and thanks to the European Commission, the EU has promoted actions which will accelerate structural reforms and the creation of better conditions of competitiveness for the European economy and especially for the small and medium-sized enterprises, leading to higher employment, primarily for young people, and to a more green economy.
We are looking forward to cooperating with you, Mr President and collectively with the College in order to promote legislative initiatives which will aim at decreasing the social pressure which has been created in most countries of our Union and which, unfortunately, at most times affects the young generation, our children, the future of our Europe.
Cyprus is working intensively to take over for the first time since its accession the great challenge of the 6-month Presidency of the Council. With special pride and at the same time with full knowledge of the responsibility we undertake, we clearly state that Cyprus will spare no effort, as an honest broker, for achieving the highest possible convergences within the Council but also in promoting the legislative work, as it is proposed by the European Commission and co-decided by the European Parliament and the Council.
In close cooperation with our Trio Presidency, and especially with the current Danish Presidency of the Council and taking seriously into consideration the programme of work of the Commission for 2012, and the current socioeconomic developments, we are completing within the next three months the programme and priorities of the Cyprus Presidency.
Contacts at all levels with the European Commission will play of course an important role in drafting the programme. The Cyprus Presidency of the Council will concentrate on achieving a BETTER EUROPE.
The main concept of our Presidency will be how all of us, together, united in our diversity, can contribute decisively to make our Union even better, for the mutual benefit of the people and our citizens. Our central message is to work together for a Union that is closer to its citizens, with less bureaucracy, with social cohesion and a greater role in the world. With the central message a BETTER EUROPE as our starting point, the Cyprus Presidency would like to emphasize the need for the European Union to return to its primeval core values, ensuring a better quality of life for its citizens. In the context of this central message, mainly two dimensions will be promoted.
The first concerns the promotion of the fundamental principle of the EU for solidarity at all levels. Solidarity however by itself is not enough to move the EU forward.
The second dimension we want to promote is that of effectiveness, thus contributing actively in the improvement of the quality of life in Europe, through the promotion of effective and common policies at EU level.
Our objective is a comprehensive response to the major challenges facing the EU, with emphasis on the citizen, the creation of better prospects of hope and social cohesion, increasing at the same time the weight of Europe in an open world. The priorities of the Cyprus Presidency will contribute towards this direction and the objectives that will be set will be realistic and viable”.
Afterwards, a meeting of the President of the Republic and the members of the Cyprus delegation with the members of the College of Commissioners, headed by the President of the Commission was held. During the deliberations of the plenary, the Government Ministers and the Deputy Minister for European Affairs made interventions on issues of their competence.
For his part, welcoming President Christofias and his entourage, Mr Barroso reassured that the EU will fully support Cyprus, for a successful Presidency.
As Mr Barroso said, the European Commission welcomes the priorities of the Cyprus Presidency and supports them, adding that economic development and the creation of work positions are issues that will concern the Cyprus Presidency.
Referring to today’s working session of the plenary of Commissioners with the Cyprus delegation, Mr Barroso said that the work will focus, inter alia, on the effects of the economic crisis on social cohesion.
He added that the Cyprus Presidency will promote the Strategy 2020 for development, at a very sensitive period of the negotiations for the next Multiannual Financial Framework.
He also said that the Cyprus Presidency will play a key role in the deliberations on the financial framework.PIO
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