Brussels, 12/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - Cypriot European Affairs Minister Andreas Mavroyiannis said on Wednesday 11 July that he wants to get resolution of the European patent problem as soon as possible. If agreement is reached at Council of Ministers' level, the ministers can introduce changes to the legal framework, which will require agreement from the European Parliament. Addressing the president of the European Economic and Social Committee, Staffan Nilsson, the minister said that he understood and appreciated the importance of the patent for industry. Nilsson told him the EESC would be applying pressure to ensure a solution was found because the EU needed its own patent.
The EESC president welcomed the important role of the EUROPE 2020 Strategy in the Cypriot Presidency's agenda, pointing out that a stronger Europe would not be possible unless the Strategy's measures were implemented, which would depend in part on civil society. Nilsson pointed out the importance of the multiannual financial framework and the energy community - subjects he wants t discuss with the Cypriot Presidency.
Inter-institutional cooperation. The Cypriot minister said the presidency intended to work with all the EU institutions, including the EESC, because inter-institutional partnership and cooperation are essential in order to achieve visible, tangible outcomes for citizens, companies and society in the EU. Mavroyiannis said he was counting on the EESC for social dialogue to bring the EU closer to its citizens, adding that it was important to breathe new life into participatory democracy and citizen involvement. (CG/transl.fl)