Prime
Ministry European Union Coordination Centre
Following the simultaneous referenda held in
Cyprus, the European Union Council of General Affairs
has decided to eliminate the isolations of the Turkish
Cypriot Community. Consequently, the EU relations were
instigated on a different course.
With respect to this new route, senior officials from
the EU Institutions have made direct acquaintances with
Turkish Cypriot Community representatives and with public
authorities from all levels. These acquaintances were
focused on how to harmonize the TRNC legislation with
the EU’s “acquis communautaire” and
how to determine the priority sectors in which the designated
financial aid shall be used.
European Union Coordination Centre, established in June
2003, primarily undertakes the responsibility for coordinating,
organizing and monitoring all the contacts and connections
made or to be made (with both TAIEX (Technical Assistance
and Information Exchange) under the European Commission
Directorate General for Enlargement, and other EU Institutions
and their collaborates such as United Nations Development
Programme – Project for Future (UNDP- PFF)). The
main responsibilities of the EUCC:
Legal Harmonization and Administrative
Restructuring
1. To act as a bridge between the European
Community Institutions and TRNC public institutions
and bodies, and to perform all official correspondences
in order to achieve an efficient coordination network.
2. To liaise with public institutions
and bodies in order to determine the priorities and
necessary arrangements with regard to the harmonization
process of the TRNC’s legal legislation system
with the “acquis communautaire”.
3. To provide proposals and suggestion,
and to collaborate with the respective ministries in
order to establish the necessary administrative structures
in TRNC which are capable of undertaking the “acquis
communautaire”
4. To establish change management committees
(CMCs) under names in accordance with the respective
legislation titles and through liaison with the respective
public institutions by the authority vested in the circular
issued by the Prime Ministry, in order to ensure the
necessary technical coordination among the line ministries.
5. Via change management committees:
- To evaluate and monitor all the efforts
and activities with respect to legal adaptation with
the EU and administrative restructuring, and to present
these to the respective committees or institutions when
deem necessary.
- To evaluate and scrutinize the proposals
from the private sector, trade unions, NGOs, municipalities
and academics, and to forward these to the respective
committees or institutions when deem necessary.
- To contribute to the drawing up process
of the legislation plan by determining the priorities
with regard to the necessary legislation amendments
for harmonization with the EU, and to update the legislation
plan according to the contemporary developments.
- To ensure that our ministries take
harmonization with the EU into consideration when dealing
and working with the Republic of Turkey, in order to
coordinate the activities in progress efficiently. Accordingly,
the EUCC shall be informed about the ongoing activities
with the Republic of Turkey.
Planning and Programming
1. To administer and coordinate the
feasibility studies among the EU institutions and our
line Ministries, which are necessary for planning and
utilizing the € 259 million financial aid approved
by the EU.
2. To collaborate with the State Planning
Organization in order to prepare a development plan
according to the reached conclusions and determined
priorities in the feasibility studies.
3. To administer the secretariat of
the Financial Assistance Coordinator which is responsible
for the implementation, monitoring and determining projects
with priority with regard to the financial cooperation
to be established among the EU and North Cyprus.
Informative Training Activities
1. To prepare texts/documents and organize
seminars and alike, in order to inform and educate the
public officials on the EU affairs.
2. To arrange conferences, discussion
groups and alike, in order to inform the Turkish Cypriot
Community and NGOs with regard to possible effects of
the ongoing legislation adaptation processes, and to
ensure that their opinions are considered.
3. To undertake the necessary research
and scrutiny and inform the respective sectors with
regard to Government decision and Committees to be formed.
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