Brussels, 02/12/2010 (Agence Europe) - The Cypriot delegation to the Transport Council, led by Works and Communications Minister Erato Kozakou-Marcoulis, has called for stronger support from the EU in tackling the restrictive measures imposed by Turkey on the Cypriot vessels and all other vessels which have a connection to Cyprus. At a briefing on Thursday 23 November, the Cypriot delegation called for “concerted action” in order to bring an end to the “arbitrary and discriminatory restrictions” that have been applied by Ankara since 1996, in violation of its agreements with the EU. Recourse to concerted action provided for in Regulation 4058/86 on co-ordinated action to safeguard free access to cargoes in ocean trades might provide a means of bringing increased pressure to bear on Turkey, the Cypriot minister suggested. She said, in a meeting with European journalists on Thursday morning, that the Turkish “embargo” had a negative effect not only on the Cypriot maritime industry but also on that of the EU as a whole. Cyprus is unhappy that Turkey is preventing Cypriot vessels from entering Turkish ports. The same measures apply to vessels which are not flying the Cypriot flag but which belong, for example, to European shipping companies established on the island. According to Kozakou-Marcoulis, around 2,800 vessels are currently being prevented from trading in Turkey, with around 1,000 of these vessels sailing under the Cypriot flag, 400 flying the flag of an EU member state but managed from Cyprus and the remaining 1,400 or so vessels sailing under non-EU flags but managed from the island. Data from 2008 shows that, as a result, the Cypriot economy has lost around €138.5 million, equivalent to 1.3% of the island's GDP. (A.By./transl.rt)