An event to mark Europe Day was hosted Tuesday by the Cyprus Parliament titled “The future of the European Union: The protection of EU principles and values and the active participation of citizens”. The President of the Parliament Annita Demetriou, the Cypriot Commissioner Stella Kyriakides and MEP Costas Mavrides addressed the participants and a panel discussion followed with statements by the Heads of the EP office and the EC representation in Cyprus, Andreas Kettis and Myrto Zambarta, Ambassadors of Sweden and Spain, Chairs of the House Committee on Foreign and European Affairs Harris Georgiades and first Vice President of the Cyprus Youth Council Pantelitsa Evagorou. The event was attended by MPs, Commissioners of the Cyprus Republic, the negotiator of Greek Cypriot side, other officials, representatives of institutions and organizations and the civil society. In all the speeches and interventions references were made to the Schumann declaration and Monet’s vision, to the principles and values of unity, peace, solidarity, cooperation, security and stability, to the achievements and challenges that the EU faces, to the need for more democracy and active participation of citizens, especially from young people, in the climate and energy crisis, the war in Ukraine and the recent pandemic crisis and how the EU mobilized to ensure vaccination coverage for all. Need to bridge the gap between citizens and the EU, Demetriou said —————— In her speech, the President of the Parliament, Annita Demetriou emphasized that today, we can proudly speak about the principles and values of the European Union adding that the European citizens must know that these principles and values guarantee the cohesion of the EU and are the common component of the member states, although the political priorities and approaches may sometimes differ. Demetriou said that we must protect these principles and values of our European family, precisely because they serve the citizens adding that the exercise of democracy through the Conference on the Future of Europe must be a continuous effort of both the European institutions and the member states because in this way, we can bridge any gap between the Union and citizens, so as to avoid slipping into extreme political positions and populism as the solutions to our problems. She said that the challenges the EU faces require constant communication with citizens and addressing of their concerns. She also said that the invasion and war in Ukraine and the ongoing occupation in Cyprus remind us that we should not take certain values, such as peace and freedom, for granted, nor should we consider as a stereotype the phrase that the European Union built peace after World War II. House President said that in addition to the violation of the rights and freedoms of the Ukrainian people, the ongoing war also has negative economic, energy and social effects on the entire European continent. We must safeguard EU principles said Commissioner Kyriakides —— Commissioner Stella Kyriakides in her speech said that with the recent COVID pandemic, Europe proved that it has a vision and determination adding that we must defend this determination, unity, cooperation and solidarity. She also said that through challenges, possibilities arise, and we must be able to build on these. Kyriakides said that in difficult times we relied on the legacy of the pioneers of the European vision and we now call to build and shape a stronger, fairer and more prosperous EU. She referred to the achievements during the pandemic and the unprecedented mobilization for vaccination coverage of all citizens, and more recently the European health union and pharmaceutical reform as well as the holistic approach to mental health that will be announced in early June. The Commissioner said that today is a day of reflection on the future and our steps to defend EU values. She referred to Ukraine and the EU’s support but also to the Cyprus issue recalling that President von der Leyen said that we will never accept a two-state solution in Cyprus. Europe Day, she concluded, is a day to celebrate what we have achieved and a day to commit to the future to make Europe stronger. EU to have a more active geopolitical role said MEP Mavrides ———— MEP Costas Mavrides, Head of the Political Committee for the Union for the Mediterranean said that our interest in the future of Europe will depend on the faith and trust we will give to the younger generations. He said that Europe, as envisioned by Schumann, is an evolutionary process and, referring to the agreement on coal and steel, he noted that even today the Eastern Mediterranean in particular needs to exploit its energy sources. The MEP said that Europe becomes more effective if we are united and referred to various achievements in various fields as well as challenges before us. He also said that despite the frustrations we should not deconstruct the EU and added that EU values are enshrined in treaties and binding law. Mavrides also referred to the need for a more active geopolitical role of the EU and the need, in Cyprus, for more results in the field of the delivery of justice in banking matters such as the abusive clauses of banks and in labor matters. EU needed more than ever today, says Georgiades ——————- Harris Georgiades, Chair of the Committee on Foreign and European Affairs of the Parliament said that the EU is needed today more than ever and that we must review the achievements as well as the challenges ahead. He stated that the participation of citizens must be institutional, i.e. there must be democratic legitimation. He reiterated his own reservations about the need for a European finance minister and raised questions about his accountability and who would appoint him. Georgiades also said that we should not only deal with initiatives on economic, social and environmental issues noting that “we are abolishing the plastic straw but we failed to address Putin’s aggressive regime and continued, while he invaded Georgia and Crimea in 2008 and 2014, to do ‘business as usual’ with him”. He said the EU must have an effective role in defense and security. Ambassadors of Sweden and Spain ————- Martin Hagstrom, Ambassador of Sweden who holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, spoke about the main priorities of the presidency and what has been achieved. He said the rotating presidency is a testament to the EU’s values, the spirit of unity that is needed more than ever now after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Ambassador of Spain, which takes over the Presidency from Sweden, Gabriel Ferran Carrion, referred to his country’s priorities, among them the consolidation of the rule of law, European integration with the inclusion of other countries, but also the great challenge of Russian aggression in Ukraine, which imposes unity in the EU. Article 2 the most important article in the Treaty of EU said Kettis —————– Andreas Kettis, head of the EP Office in Cyprus said that the principles and values that we are called to protect today are included in Article 2 of the EU treaty which is the most important and added that all our policies must be based on it. He referred to the rule of law and the fact that it is ranked as the most important issue for EU citizens in Eurobarometer surveys. Kettis said that the EP with lots of effort and hard work managed to establish a mechanism which actually connects the resilience and recovery funds as long as the conditions of the rule of law are met. He also said that the EP as guardian insists and will press for what was tabled at the Conference on the Future of Europe to be implemented. EU the best factor for stability and peace said Zambarta —————- The head of the delegation of the European Commission Myrto Zambarta said that the Commission formed its work program for 2023 based on the findings of this Conference. On the EU’s role on the international stage, she said that security and foreign policy issues were not “Europeanized” as much as others, and that the EU has a limited ability to act as a united actor on these issues as opposed to others. Zambarta also said that the EU is the best factor for peace and stability and that the EC has drafted its policies and strategies on threats that are no longer conventional, such as cyber-attacks, fake news, the rule of law and interference in elections. Need for more active participation by the youth said first VP of Youth Council —————- Pantelitsa Evagorou, first Vice President of the Cyprus Youth Council said that the strengthening of participatory democracy requires the participation of the youth in the decision-making process. She referred to the strategies promoted by the Youth Council through youth diplomacy and the institution of the Youth Parliament, as well as the strengthening of the youth organization. Evagorou also said that there is a need for better planning of educational programs and promoting the skills of young people as well as including young people as candidates in the upcoming elections for the European Parliament. She said that despite our small size we have brilliant examples of young people’s participation in European fora and organizations.
Source: Cyprus News Agency