Brussels, 26/03/2004 (Agence Europe) - European Commissioner for enlargement, Günter Verheugen has declared that "the European Union is prepared to accommodate on the contents of the agreement and provide it with sufficient legal certainty for the two parties" in order to reassure Greek Cypriots and, above all, Turks, of the integration of a possible agreement on the reunification of the island as part of the Community acquis and with, therefore the guarantee for respect of its clauses. At the end of his meeting with the Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday in a backdrop to the European Council of Brussels, the Commissioner declared that the EU "is ready to accommodate, if it does not go against the basis on which the European Union is founded: democracy, human rights and the state of law. Verheugen added that the European Union "can be very flexible".
This question of the guarantee for an agreement is particularly worrying to the Turkish Cypriots and Turkey. As a minority on the island and in control of the north since partition in 1974, Turkish Cypriots fear a significant return of Greek Cypriots to their former homes. In this connection they are trying to obtain derogations to the freedom of movement and settlement and want this laid down in primary law, namely, the accession treaty, in the hope of avoiding having to go to the Court of Justice. Several European diplomats have indicated that the European Union could agree to transition periods and a gradual return of Greek Cypriots to the north but cannot agree to a permanent derogation to the freedom of movement. It is also expected that Cyprus's accession is adapted to the reunification of the island by a simple Council decision and diplomats point out that it is unlikely that this would change. The same sources suggested that the inclusion of the agreement into primary law would not, in any case, avoid having to go to the Court of Justice.
Negotiations on island reunification were relaunched on 19 February on the basis of the Annan Plan, which proposed setting up a Swiss style confederation. The terms of the agreement between the two sides, or concluded by the UN Secretary General, will be submitted to a referendum of the two parties on 20 April.