The EU is stepping up efforts to find a deal on Cyprus on the occasion of the General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting in Luxembourg 16-17 October 2006. Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said: “This may really be the last window of opportunity for several years and we should not miss this opportunity.”
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül said that he supported the Finnish presidency’s proposals to ease trade with the divided island, but neither party has yet managed to settle on a compromise.
The Finnish presidency plan intends to ease trade between Cyprus and Turkey, as well as between the northern Turkish part of the island and the rest of the EU. Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja emphasised that discussions to keep entry negotiations on track depend on compromise. He said: "We'll continue working on these issues on both sides; it takes two to tango."
Progress on the Cyprus issue, as well as in the area of freedom of expression are crucial to Turkey’s negotiation process with regard to the report the Commission is to issue on 8 November 2006. Otherwise the document might conclude a slowdown in the reform process and shortcomings on Turkey’s treaty obligation, which might further dampen the pace of negotiations or lead to a standstill.
