Brussels, 05/11/2003 (Agence Europe) - The stage report on Cyprus' progress on the road to accession stressed "the high level of alignment to the acquis in most fields", but also notes "serious concerns" for three areas of two policies, on which "Cyprus should take decisive and immediate action". These are: 1) agriculture: Cyprus should set up its payment agency and prepare to apply mechanisms for external trade; 2) transport: regarding maritime safety.
Cyprus must show proof of greater effort for: the freedom of movement of goods and services; intellectual property and industrial property rights; agriculture (network of accounting data, the system of veterinary control, BSE, public health in agri-food establishments, joint measures, animal feed, certain aspects of phytosanitary legislation); fisheries (management of resources and fleet, inspection and control); transport (air and maritime); social and employment aspects (European Social Fund and rules against discrimination); energy; telecommunications; audiovisual policy; the surveillance of markets for consumer protection; visa and asylum policy; external relations (examination of bilateral agreements with third countries); and internal financial control in the public sector.