The European Commission launches new scheme to support Turkish Cypriot businesses
The European Commission has launched a new project in collaboration with GIZ International Services, the German Agency for International Cooperation, to support private sector development in the Turkish Cypriot community and boost Green Line trade. The EUR 4 million, 2-year project is fully funded by the EU aid programme for the Turkish Cypriot community and will contribute to efforts for the reunification of the island.
The project will focus on integrating Turkish Cypriot companies into the island-wide economy and the EU’s single market. Planned support shall narrow the gap between production standards in the Turkish Cypriot community and the rest of the European Union. The competitiveness of businesses will be boosted by increasing the level of digitalization of businesses and improving the sustainability of production. The project will also contribute to ensuring that goods and/or services traded by Turkish Cypriot compan
ies across the Green Line are compliant with EU standards.
SMEs and start-ups will have access to grants as well as to trainings, mentoring, and business development programmes under the new project. Information about upcoming grants and training opportunities will be announced on the EU Infopoint website.
Since 2006, the Commission has been supporting Turkish Cypriot businesses with over EUR 25 million in grants. The next round of grants will be announced during the summer of this year, with continuous complementary technical support provided to beneficiaries throughout the entire duration of the project.
College of Commissioners approves the text of the agreement for the establishment of an interinstitutional Ethics Body
Today, the Commission has officially approved the agreement resulting from the negotiations among the EU institutions and bodies for the creation of the first ever interinstitutional Ethics Body. This is an important step towards the establishment of the Body.
The Body will be in charg
e of developing, updating and interpreting common minimum standards for ethical conduct, applicable to all members of EU institutions and bodies, and for the implementation and transparency of rules. Additionally, it will contribute to fostering a common ethics culture for all members of EU institutions, as well as facilitate an exchange of views among the institutions on their internal rules, allowing them to learn and benefit from each other’s experience. The actions of the Ethics Body will be transparent and accessible to the public.
Vice-President for Values and Transparency, Vera Jourová, said: ‘This agreement represents our shared strong commitment to ensure that our Union’s institutions are bound by the highest standards of ethics and transparency, and to create a common European ethics culture, applicable to all. While our roles may differ due to the nature of our mandate, and there is no ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to the risks that we face, it has become clear that a common culture of ethics,
built through shared common standards and cooperation among institutions, is needed.’
(For more information: Christian Wigand – Tel.: + 32 2 296 22 53; Cristina Torres Castillo – Tel.: + 32 2 299 06 79)
Commission receives Greece´s fourth payment request for loans under the Recovery and Resilience Facility
Today, the Commission has received Greece’s fourth payment request for pound 2.3 billion (net of pre-financing) in loans.
Greece´s fourth payment request for loans concerns one target under the loan facility component of the Greek Recovery and Resilience Plan. This target requires that an aggregate of pound 4.5 billion of RRF loans are signed by financial institutions with companies to support private investment related to areas such as the green transition, the digital transition, increasing export capacity, and innovation.
The Commission will now assess the request. It will then send its preliminary assessment of Greece’s fulfilment of the target required for this payment to the Economic and Financia
l Committee.
Greece’s overall recovery and resilience plan will be financed by pound 18.2 billion in grants and pound 17.7 billion in loans. More information on the process of the payment requests under the RRF is available in this Q and A. More information on the Greek recovery and resilience plan is available here.
(For more information: Veerle Nuyts – Tel.: +32 229 96302; Marajke Slomka – Tel.: +32 229-82613)
Commission sends request for information to TikTok regarding the launch of TikTok Lite in France and Spain
Today, the Commission has sent TikTok a request for information under the Digital Services Act (DSA), asking for more details on the risk assessment the provider of TikTok should have carried out before deploying the new app TikTok Lite in the EU. This concerns the potential impact of the new ‘Task and Reward Lite’ programme on the protection of minors, as well as on the mental health of users, in particular in relation to the potential stimulation of addictive behaviour. The Commission is al
so requesting information about the measures the platform has put in place to mitigate such systemic risks.
TikTok must provide the risk assessment for TikTok Lite in 24 hours and the other requested information by 26 April 2024, after which the Commission will analyse TikTok’s reply, and then assess next steps. A request for information is an investigatory act that does not prejudge potential further steps that the Commission may or may not decide to take. However, pursuant to Article 74 (2) of the DSA, the Commission can impose fines for incorrect, incomplete, or misleading information in response to a request for information.
TikTok Lite is a new app with a new functionality aimed at users aged 18+: the ‘Reward Program’, which allows users to earn points while performing certain ‘tasks’ on TikTok, such as watching videos, liking content, following creators, inviting friends to join TikTok, etc. These points can be exchanged for rewards, such as Amazon vouchers, gift cards via PayPal or TikTok’s coins cur
rency that can be spent on tipping creators. TikTok Lite was launched in France and Spain in April 2024.
In February 2024, the Commission opened formal proceedings against TikTok to assess whether TikTok may have breached the DSA in areas linked to the protection of minors, advertising transparency, data access for researchers, as well as the risk management of addictive design and harmful content. The Commission is now gathering more evidence.
(For more information: Johannes Bahrke – Tel.: +32?2 295 86 15; Thomas Regnier – Tel.: +32 2 299 10 99)
Commission seeks views on the monitoring and control of drug precursors
Today, the Commission is launching a public consultation to gather views on the monitoring and control of drug precursors. Drug precursors are chemical substances that, beyond their legitimate use, could be diverted to produce drugs.
This initiative is part of the EU’s zero-tolerance vision on drugs and follows the call for evidence on the diversion of trade in drug precursors published in M
ay 2023.
With this public consultation, the Commission aims to identify possible solutions to prevent the diversion of drug precursors, while reducing unnecessary obstacles to legitimate trade. Following this, the Commission may present an initiative for revised EU drug precursors rules – as indicated in the EU roadmap to fight drug trafficking and organised crime.
In line with the UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, strict rules exist to control the legitimate trade of precursors within the single market and at the EU borders. In addition to these measures, the Commission takes further action since drug precursors continue to be diverted for illicit production, with criminals exploiting regulatory gaps by creating designer precursors with no known legal use.
All interested parties can share their views on the Commission’s Have Your Say portal until 10 July 2024.
(For more information: Johanna Bernsel – Tel.: + 32 2 298 66 99; Federica Miccoli – Tel.: +32 2
295 83 00)
Commissioner Johansson visits Bulgaria to celebrate the recent Schengen enlargement and discuss border, migration management, police cooperation
Tomorrow, Commissioner for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, will travel to Sofia to meet the Minister of Interior of Bulgaria, Kalin Stoyanov, and the Minister of Internal Affairs of Romania, Catalin Predoiu.
This visit takes places shortly after Bulgaria and Romania having joined the Schengen area on 31 March 2024, making Schengen stronger and more resilient. The Schengen rules now apply in Bulgaria and Romania, including on issuing Schengen visas, and the controls at the internal air and sea borders were lifted. The Commission will continue to provide all necessary support to the Presidency of the Council to ensure that a decision to lift controls at internal land borders can be taken in 2024. This is also reflected in the recently adopted 2024 State of Schengen report, looking at the achievements, challenges and developments in the Schengen area over th
e past year.
During her visit, the Commissioner will witness the impact of the lifting of border controls at air and sea borders since 31 March as well as discuss with the authorities existing and planned increased cooperation on border and migration management, as well as on police cooperation which the Commission will continue to support.
These increased cooperation efforts include the Cooperation Frameworks launched on 4 March, building on the successful implementation by the two countries of the pilot projects for fast asylum and returns procedures initiated, moving from ad-hoc to sustainable solutions. Furthermore, a regional initiative on police cooperation was established along the Western Balkan and Eastern Mediterranean routes, with Bulgaria, Romania, Austria, Greece, Hungary and Slovakia. This will allow to address related challenges jointly and in a sustainable manner, including as regards cross-border crime.
(For more information: Anitta Hipper – Tel.: +32 2 298 56 91; Fiorella Boigner – Tel.:
+32 2 299 37 34)
EEAS: High Representative Josep Borrell nominated new Heads of EU Delegations for the upcoming diplomatic rotation
Josep Borrell, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission, nominated 44 Heads of Delegation, Heads of Office, Chargés d’affaires a.i. of the European Union for the upcoming diplomatic rotation at the EU delegations worldwide.
The appointment process of the nominees will be formalized following the receipt of the official approval (agrément), where applicable, from the respective host countries:
BOŠKOVIC POHAR Veronika has been nominated as the Chargé d’affaires a.i. to Afghanistan. She is currently the Slovenian Representative to the Political and Security Committee (PSC). She has previously served as the Slovenian Deputy Chief of Mission to France, The Kingdom of Morocco and UNESCO.
MELLADO PASCUA Diego has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Algeria. He is currently the Chief of Protocol in the EEAS
and has formerly served as an EU Ambassador to Peru.
MILLER Michael has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Bangladesh. He is currently Head of Unit for Montenegro and Serbia in the European Commission, DG NEAR. He has previously served as Head of Political Section in the EU Delegation to Trkiye.
MUND Stephane has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Benin. He is currently the Belgian Representative to the Political and Security Committee (PSC). He has previously served as the Belgian Ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
SEGURA SOCIAS Jaume has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Bolivia. He is currently the EU Ambassador to Honduras and has previously served as a Political Counsellor at the Embassy of Spain in Mexico.
SORECA Luigi has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is currently serving as the EU Special Envoy for External Aspects of Migration. He has previously served as EU Ambassador to Albania.
TUTS Geneviève has been nominated as the EU Ambass
ador to Canada. She is currently serving as the Head of Cabinet of Commissioner Didier Reynders responsible for Justice. Ms TUTS has previously served as Director for Transport, Telecommunications and Energy in the General Secretariat of the Council.
ESCALONA PATUREL Diego has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Central African Republic. He is currently serving as Head of Cooperation in the European Union Delegation to Burkina Faso and has previously served as Head of Cooperation in the European Union Delegation to Egypt.
BOBAK Przemyslaw has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Chad. He is currently serving as Ambassador of Poland to Ethiopia. Mr Bobak has formerly served as a Director for Africa and the Middle East Department in the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
GINTERSDORFER Claudia has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Chile. She is currently serving as Head of Division for Americas – Regional Affairs in the EEAS. She has previously served as Deputy Head of Delegation to the EU Delegati
on in Brazil.
MARCHAL Anne has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to the Republic of the Congo. She is currently serving as Head of Division for Consular Affairs in the EEAS and has formerly served as a Deputy Head of Delegation to Pakistan.
IONETE Denisa Elena has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Djibouti. She is currently serving as Senior Inspector and Adviser in the EEAS. Ms Ionete has previously served as an EU Ambassador to Niger.
DORODNOVA Jekaterina has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Ecuador. She is currently serving as Adviser on Western Balkans in the EEAS. Ms Dorodnova has formerly served as a Deputy Head of Delegation in the EU Delegation to Bosnia and Hercegovina.
EICHHORST Angelina has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Egypt. She is currently serving as the Managing Director for EUROPE in the EEAS and has previously served as the EU Ambassador to Lebanon.
MECKLENBURG Karsten has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Eswatini. He is currently serving as the Head of Polit
ical Section in Burkina Faso and has formerly served as the Head of Trade and Economic Section in the EU Delegation to Canada.
FROM-EMMESBERGER Sofie has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Ethiopia. She is currently serving as Director General for Africa and the Middle East in the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. She has formerly served in the EEAS as the Chair of the Political and Security Committee (PSC).
GIOGKARAKIS-ARGYROPOULOS Ioannis has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Haiti. He is currently serving as Head of Division for ASIA-Pacific Regional Affairs, ASEM and Indo Pacific in the EEAS. He has formerly served as an EU Ambassador to Papua New Guinea.
SELMAYR Martin has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to the Holy See, Order of Malta and UN Organisations. He is currently serving as Hors Classe Adviser in the European Commission. Mr Selmayr has previously served as the Secretary-General of the Commission and as a Head of the European Commission Representation in Austria.
FOURNIER
Gonzalo has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Honduras. He is currently serving as chargé d’affaires of Spain to Belarus and Turkmenistan. He has previously served as Consul General of Spain in Salvador de Bahia and Northeast Brazil.
ROUSE Harvey has been nominated as the EU Head of Office to Hong Kong and MACAO. He is currently serving as Head of Unit for International Relations at the European Commission, DG MOVE. Mr Rouse has formerly served as a Head of Trade and Economic Section at the EU Delegation to Indonesia/Brunei Darussalam and EU Delegation to ASEAN.
GANSLANDT Clara has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Iceland. She is currently serving as Head of Division for Western Europe and Special Envoy for Arctic Matters in the EEAS. She has previously served as Head of Division for Partnerships and Agreements in the EEAS.
ASKOLA Erja has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Jamaica. She is currently serving as Deputy Head of Delegation in the EU Delegation to the Pacific. She has previ
ously served as Deputy Head of Unit for Trade Relations with African, Caribbean and Pacific countries in the European Commission, DG Trade.
SIMKIC Aleška has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Kazakhstan. She is currently serving as the Head of Cabinet to the Slovenian Commissioner Janez Lenarcic responsible for Crisis Management. She has formerly served as Deputy Head of Delegation in the EU Delegation to the Russian Federation.
ORAV Aivo has been nominated as the EU Head of Office to Kosovo. He is currently serving as Permanent Representative of Estonia to the EU. Mr Orav has formerly served as EU Ambassador to Montenegro.
GALLAGHER Mark has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to The Lao PDR. He is currently serving as Deputy Head of Division for South East Asia in the EEAS. He has previously served as the Head of Political Section in the EU Delegation to Israel.
DAERR Rafael Tristan has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Malaysia. He is currently serving as Member of Cabinet of the High Represe
ntative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission Mr Josep Borell Fontelles. He has previously served as Deputy Head of Division in the Division for Parliamentary Affairs in the EEAS.
TASSO VILALLONGA Joaquin has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Mauritania. He is currently serving as the EU Ambassador to the Togolese Republic. He has formerly served as Deputy Head of Division for Pan African Affairs in the EEAS.
ANDRÉ Francisco has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Mexico. He is currently serving as the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation of the Portuguese Republic. Mr André has formerly served as Head of Cabinet of the Prime Minister of the Portuguese Republic.
MARCIULIONYTE Ina has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Mongolia. She is currently serving as the EU Ambassador to the Lao PDR. She has formerly served as Lithuanian Ambassador to People’s Republic of China, Mongolia, the Kingdom of Thailand, Republic of Korea,
Myanmar and Vietnam.
SATTLER Johann has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Montenegro. He is currently serving as the EU Ambassador to Bosnia and Herzegovina and has previously served as the Austrian Ambassador to Albania.
MIGNOT Gautier has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Nigeria. He is currently serving as the EU Ambassador to Mexico and has formerly served as Ambassador of France to Colombia.
ROKAS Michalis has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to North Macedonia. He is currently serving as EU Ambassador to Malaysia. Mr Rokas has previously served as Head of Division for support to Delegations in the EEAS.
HATWELL Jonathan has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Peru. He is currently serving as Head of Division for Mexico, Central America and Caribbean in the EEAS. Mr Hatwell has previously served as Deputy Head of Delegation to the EU Delegation in Japan.
SANTORO Mariomassimo has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to the Philippines. He is currently serving as the Head of Division fo
r Policy Coordination and Head of Office of the EEAS Secretary-General. He has formerly served as Antici Counsellor and Chief policy coordinator in the Permanent Representation of Italy to the European Union.
JANKOWSKI Jacek has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Sierra Leone. He is currently serving as Minister Counsellor in the Human Resources Department in the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He has formerly served as EU Ambassador to Zambia and COMESA.
LAJCÁK Miroslav has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Switzerland. He is currently serving as European Union Special Representative (EUSR) for the Belgrade-Pristina Dialogue and other Western Balkan Regional issues. He has previously served as Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovakia.
OHNMACHT Michael has been nominated as the Chargé d’affaires a.i. to Syria. He is currently serving as Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to the State of Libya and has previously served as Head of the Middle East Division in the German Min
istry of Foreign Affairs.
GUELLNER Lutz has been nominated as the EU Head of Office to Taiwan. He is currently serving as Head of Division for Strategic Communications, Task Forces and Information Analysis in the EEAS. Mr Guellner has previously served as Head of Unit for Communications and Civil Society Dialogue in DG Trade, European Commission.
JONES Gwilym has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Togo. He is currently serving as the EU Ambassador to Mauritania and has previously served as Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation in Niger.
PERRONE Giuseppe has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Tunisia. He is currently serving as the Ambassador of Italy to Iran and has previously served as the Ambassador of Italy to the State of Libya.
OSSOWSKI Thomas Hans has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Trkiye. He is currently serving as the German representative to the Political and Security Committee (PSC) and has previously served as the German Ambassador to the Philippines, Palau, Micronesia and th
e Marshall Islands.
MARTINEZ CARBONELL Belén has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to UN Geneva. She is currently serving as the Managing Director for the Global Agenda and Multilateral Relations in the EEAS. She has previously served as Director for Human Recourses in the EEAS.
KLAAR Toivo has been nominated as the EU Ambassador to Uzbekistan. He is currently serving as the European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia. He has previously served as the Head of Division for Central Asia in the EEAS.
CALVO PUERTA Antonia has been nominated as the Chargé d’affaires to Venezuela. She is currently serving as an Adviser to the Managing Director for Americas in the EEAS and has formerly served as EU Ambassador to Costa Rica.
The EEAS has also nominated 11 new Deputy Heads of Delegation of the European Union.
BÄVERBRANT STANGHED Karin has been nominated as the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to the African Union. She is currently serving as Policy Officer for Peace, Se
curity and Defence in the EEAS. Ms Stanghed has previously served as Minister Counsellor and Head of Political Section at the Swedish Embassy to Ethiopia, Djibouti, The African Union, IGAD and UN-ECA.
BONAL Aurelie has been nominated as the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Canada. She is currently serving as the Deputy Head of Mission at the French Embassy in the United States of America. She has previosly served as the Press Counsellor and Spokes Person at the French Embassy to the United Kingdom.
BAJADA Ruth has been nominated as the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to the United States of America. She is currently serving as Head of Division for the United States and Canada in the EEAS. Ms Bajada has formerly served as Adviser and Political Assistant to the Secretary-General.
PEÑALVER GARCÍA Nereo has been nominated as the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to the Pacific. He is currently serving as Cabinet Expert in the team of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Poli
cy/Vice-President of the European Commission Mr Josep Borrell Fontelles. He has previously served as Head of Division for Parliamentary Affairs in the EEAS.
SUWARA Ewa has been nominated as the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to India. She is currently serving as the Head of Field Office in the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia. Ms Suwara has previously served as Foreign Policy Counsellor in the Polish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.
GNOCCHI Thomas has been nominated as the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Japan. He is currently serving as Head of Office at the EU Office to Hong Kong and Macao. Mr GNOCCHI has previosly served as Deputy Head of Division for Japan, Korea, Australia, New Zealand and Pacific.
POPPELBAUM Isabell has been nominated as the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to the United Kingdom. She is currently serving as Political Assistant to the Deputy Secretary-General for Political Affairs in the EEAS. She has formerly served as Policy Officer at the EU Delegation to Myanmar.
PARENTI Anton
io has been nominated as the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to UN Geneva. He is currently serving as the Head of the European Commission Represenation to Italy. Mr Parenti has previosly served as the Head of the Economic, Trade and Development Section at the EU Delegation in New York.
FERNANDEZ-MARTOS Antonio has been nominated as the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to the WTO Geneva. He is currently serving as Head of Unit for Multilateral Affairs and WTO at the European Commission, DG Trade. Mr Fernandez-Martos has previously served as Head of Unit for Economic Affairs in the European Commission DG Trade.
SAADI Samy has been nominated as the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to Lebanon. He is currently serving as Political Counsellor for African Issues and UN Peacebuilding at the Permanent Mission of Germany to the United Nations in New York. He has formerly served as Team Leader for Middle East and North Africa at the the Foreign Office of the Federal Republic of Germany.
RIZZO James has been nominate
d as the Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. He is currently serving as Justice and Home Affairs Counsellor at the Permanent Representation of Luxembourg to the EU and has previously served as Political Desk for Trkiye in the European Commission, DG NEAR.
Josep Borrell, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission also announces that Mr. Simon MORDUE has been selected as Deputy Secretary-General for Economic and Global Issues, in the EEAS. Mr. Mordue is currently serving as Chief Foreign Policy Advisor to the President of the European Council and has also served as EU Ambassador to Kenya.
CALENDAR
Wednesday 17/04
Mr Margaritis Schinas in Corinth, Greece: meets with Dimitris Ptochos, Governor of Peloponnese.
Thursday 18/04
Mr Margaritis Schinas in Alexandroupolis, Greece: participates in the National Rectors Summit hosted by the University of Thrace.
Ms Stella Kyriakides in Ankara, Trkiye: participates in
the EU-Trkiye High Level Dialogue on Health.
Friday 19/04
Mr Margaritis Schinas in Alexandroupolis, Greece: visits the Europol-Frontex Joint Operation Centre.
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Source: Cyprus News Agency