Brussels, 16/06/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 16 June, the Council of Ministers of the EU adopted without debate (and unanimously) the regulation updating the rules on goods, services and persons crossing the line (the so-called "green line") between the Republic of Cyprus on the one hand, and the self-proclaimed Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on the other (see EUROPE 9640 for the initial proposal dating from 10 April 2007).
With the objective of reinforcing economic and commercial relations on the island, the regulation: -lifts all duty applicable to agricultural products from the Northern part of Cyprus; - regulates the temporary introduction of goods (for a duration of up to six months) from the northern part of the island to the Cypriot Republic; - increases from €135 to €260 the total value of goods contained in the personal baggage of people crossing the demarcation line, to encourage the economic development of the areas of the northern part of Cyprus.
"The adoption of the amendment is a small but important contribution to the favourable climate on the island to the process towards reaching comprehensive and viable settlement of the Cyprus issue within the UN framework and in line with the principles on which the EU is founded", notes the Slovenian Presidency of the Council of the EU, in a declaration adopted on the same day. (L.C./transl.fl)