It is a bad time for Cyprus, as it officially takes over the EU presidency tomorrow with a pledge to work towards a better Europe.
The presidency gives relevance to membership
The small island state has become the fourth eurozone country to ask for some form of bailout to shore up its finances.
And not surprisingly, one of the Cypriot presidency’s goals is to make “a tangible impact towards containing and mitigating the effects of the economic crisis”.
This irony is depicted in the logo chosen by the Cypriot presidency, which must have been influenced by British pop star Rod Stewart’s song I Am Sailing.
The logo represents a ship that morphs into a bird and the song’s words fit like a glove, as Cyprus “sails over stormy waters” at this juncture.
But the irony that characterises the Cypriot presidency does not stop with the financial difficulties. For the next six months a united Europe will be driven by a divided island state.
Almost four decades after Turkey invaded the northern half of Cyprus and eight years after the Greek-Cypriots in the south rejected a UN-sponsored peace plan in a referendum, the country is still divided.
Turkey still has thousands of soldiers stationed in the northern half and diplomatic efforts to solve the problem have produced no results.
Whether the Cypriot presidency will use the next six months to inject fresh enthusiasm into negotiations with Turkey is unclear but international relations expert Stephen Calleya believes the island must grasp the opportunity.
“I expect Cyprus to take advantage of the limelight and return to effective diplomacy over the island’s divided status, otherwise it will be a missed opportunity,” Dr Calleya said.
Cyprus’ population is around a million, with three quarters being Greek-Cypriot. It entered the EU in 2004 but EU law only applies to the southern half of the island and is suspended in the Turkish occupied north.
Although small, Cyprus is not the first diminutive country to be in the driving seat of the EU.
Luxembourg has occupied that role before but the significance of the Cypriot presidency, eight years after joining the bloc, is very high.
“It shows that EU membership was not just a symbolic gesture.
“The presidency gives relevance to membership because it gives the country an opportunity to shape the EU agenda,” Dr Calleya said.
He expected Cyprus to focus the EU’s agenda on the Mediterranean region at a historic juncture that saw the toppling of regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.
“The EU has failed to grasp the full significance of the changes happening in North Africa and has done little.
“The Cypriot presidency is an opportunity to re-focus the EU’s agenda towards the Mediterranean and Malta should work closely with Cyprus in this regard,” Dr Calleya said.
Malta takes on the six-month rotational presidency for the first time in 2017. “We are capable of holding our own when Malta’s turn comes but we must work more closely with the Cypriot presidency because of the commonalities we share.”