REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Sixteenth Annual Report 2021 on the implementation of the Union assistance under Council Regulation (EC) No 389/2006 of 27 February 2006 establishing an instrument of financial support for encouraging the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community
Date: 2022-06-07
Institutions: Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support, European Commission
Subjects: Cyprus, EU aid, activity report, aid programme, civil society, development aid, economic development, financial aid, national unification, social development

EN 

  EN 

   EUROPEAN COMMISSION  Brussels, 7.6.2022  COM(2022) 256 final  REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND THE COUNCIL Sixteenth Annual Report 2021 on the implementation of the Union assistance under Council Regulation (EC) No 389/2006 of 27 February 2006 establishing an instrument of financial support for encouraging the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community  
 
 
REPORT FROM THE COMMISSION TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT AND 
THE COUNCIL 

Sixteenth Annual Report 2021 on the implementation of the Union assistance under 
Council Regulation (EC) No 389/2006 of 27 February 2006 establishing an instrument of 
financial support for encouraging the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot 
community 

1. 

INTRODUCTION 
Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  389/20061  (the  ‘Aid  Regulation’)  is  the  basis  for  the 
provision of assistance to the Turkish Cypriot community (TCc) and requires annual 
reporting to the Council and the European Parliament. 

2. 

PROGRAMMING OF THE ASSISTANCE 

Between 2006 and the end of 2021, EUR 623 million were programmed for operations 
under  the  Aid  Regulation.  The  amount  committed  in  December  2021  for  the  2021 
annual  action  programme  was  EUR  30.7  million2.  The  Multiannual  Financial 
Framework  (MFF)  2021-2027  has  provided  a  multi-annual  perspective  to  the 
programme with a provision for stable, annual funding. The assistance programme is, 
however, of an exceptional and transitional nature, aiming to prepare and facilitate, as 
appropriate,  the  full  application  of  the  acquis  communautaire  in  the  areas  of  the 
Republic  of  Cyprus  in  which  the  Government  of  the  Republic  of  Cyprus  does  not 
exercise effective control following a solution to the Cyprus problem, and both the Aid 
Regulation  and  Council  Regulation  No  2020/20933  laying  down  the  MFF  have 
allowed for a revision in case of reunification.  

3. 

IMPLEMENTATION MECHANISMS  

The programme is implemented in the areas of the Republic of Cyprus in which the 
Government of the Republic of Cyprus does not exercise effective control and where 
the application of the acquis is temporarily suspended pursuant to Protocol 10 of the 
Treaty of Accession. Assistance is implemented in direct and indirect management.  

The  Commission  operates  in  a  unique  political,  legal  and  diplomatic  context.  The 
granting of such assistance shall not imply recognition of any public authority in the 
areas other than the Government of the Republic of Cyprus. Ad hoc arrangements are 
needed to implement the programme while respecting the principles of sound financial 
management.  In  EU-funded  aid  programmes,  in  normal  circumstances,  agreements 
with  a  beneficiary  government  would  establish  the  legal  framework  for  the 
development of the assistance. No such agreements can be made for the assistance to 
the TCc. Management and mitigation of the inherent risk is part of the Commission's 

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Council  Regulation  (EC)  No  389/2006  of  27  February  2006  establishing  an  instrument  of  financial 
support  for  encouraging  the  economic  development  of  the  Turkish  Cypriot  community  and  amending  Council 
Regulation (EC) No 2667/2000 on the European Agency for Reconstruction (OJ L65, 7.3.2006, p.5). 
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Cypriot community for the year 2021 (C(2021) 8905). 
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financial framework for the years 2021 to 2027 (OJ L433I, 22.12.2020, p.11). 

Commission Implementing Decision of 13.12.2021 on adopting an Action Programme for the Turkish 

Council  Regulation  (EU,  Euratom)  2020/2093  of  17  December  2020  laying  down  the  multiannual 

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responsibility  and  measures  adopted  include  intensive  monitoring  of  contracts  and 
provision  of  support  to  beneficiaries,  revised  payment  conditions  and  a  careful 
approach to the use of bank guarantees. The assistance includes a significant amount 
of grant support, requiring resource-intensive management.  

To  ensure  impact,  the  TCc  must  be  fully  engaged  in  the  preparation  for  the 
implementation of the acquis in view of the withdrawal of its suspension in accordance 
with Protocol 10, following settlement.  

The programme team operates through the EU Programme Support Office in the  areas 
not under the effective control in Nicosia. The Commission Representation in Cyprus 
also  hosts  meetings,  seminars  and  press  conferences  and  communicates  with  the 
Cypriot public throughout the island, including on the Aid Programme. In addition, 
the  EU  Info-point,  funded  under  the  Aid  Programme,  carries  out  a  range  of 
communication  and  visibility  actions,  providing  information  about  EU  policies, 
priorities and actions in support of the TCc, and promoting European culture.  

4. 

IMPLEMENTATION DURING THE REPORTING PERIOD 

4.1. 

General overview 

The Commission continues to implement the Aid Regulation with the overall aim of 
supporting  reunification.  In  the  event  of  a  comprehensive  settlement  of  the  Cyprus 
problem, the Council shall, on the basis of a proposal from the Commission, decide 
unanimously on the necessary adaptations to this Regulation. 

Operations in 2021 included the continuation of a number of established and successful 
projects, such as EU scholarships and confidence-building measures in support of the 
Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage and the Committee on Missing Persons. A 
dedicated  facility  continued  to  fund  the  bi-communal  Technical  Committees’ 
initiatives. 

Grant support remains an essential element of the programme. Greater assistance was 
provided to key economic sectors preparing for a settlement through projects geared 
towards  the  private  sector,  rural  areas  and  human  resource  development.  Efforts 
continued to tangibly improve the state of play in animal diseases eradication and food 
safety. 

In  April  2021,  the  Commission  adopted  two  legal  acts:  Regulation  (EU)  2021/591 
entering  Halloumi/Hellim  in  the  register  of  protected  designations  of  origin  and 
protected  geographical  indications  (PDO)  and  Decision  (EU)  2021/586  allowing 
Halloumi/Hellim to be traded across the Green Line once Turkish Cypriot producers 
have  aligned  their  production  standards  with  EU  animal  health  and  food  safety 
standards. Since 1 October 2021, only Halloumi/Hellim produced in Cyprus according 
to the traditional recipe can be placed on the EU market using that name. A series of 
support measures was subsequently launched to help implement the Halloumi/ Hellim 
PDO package in the TCc. 

There are still considerable gaps in beneficiaries’ capacity to  effectively implement 
the  acquis,  following  a  comprehensive  settlement.  However,  the  TCc  continued  to 
make good progress in a number of areas and acquired a firmer understanding of the 
challenges. 

One ongoing issue has been the construction of the Famagusta sewage network, the 
contract for which the Commission terminated in December 2013. The dispute with 
the former contractor was brought to arbitration and the proceedings are still ongoing. 

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In parallel, a contract for the related remedial works was concluded and the works have 
commenced. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has hampered the Aid Programme’s implementation. The 
Commission  continued  to  ensure  that  the  programme  delivered  despite  the 
circumstances, putting mitigating measures in place to ensure that projects could go 
ahead  unhindered.  An  emergency  package  helped  provide  the  most  urgent  medical 
supplies,  economic  support  for  micro-business  and  SMEs,  and  expert  advice  to  the 
TCc. 

At the end of the year, 191 contracts were running under the Aid Programme.  

4.2. 

Progress by objectives 

The overall objective of the Aid Programme is to facilitate the reunification of Cyprus 
by encouraging the economic development of the TCc, with particular emphasis on 
the  economic  integration  of  the  island,  on  improving  contacts  between  the  two 
communities and with the EU, and on preparation for the acquis.  

The activities undertaken in 2021 are described below, for each objective of the Aid 
Regulation. 

4.2.1.  Objective 1: Developing and restructuring of infrastructure 

The  United  Nations  Development  Programme  (UNDP)  continued  to  implement  the 
‘Local Infrastructure Facility’ (LIF) through ongoing contribution agreements signed 
with  the  Commission,  on  behalf  of  the  Union,  for  EUR  23.4  million.  The  facility 
provides  support  for  preparing  and  implementing  relevant  local  infrastructure 
investments. In addition to 13 significant LIF-supported projects, 2021 also saw the 
completion of an optimised third call for proposals for local communities, resulting in 
4  additional  projects  to  the  LIF  pipeline.  In  2021,  construction  work  started  on  the 
Kormakitis Centre for Cooperation, while the design-and-build contract  was signed 
for the extension of the Morphou wastewater treatment plant. 

In  the  water  sector,  construction  of  the  new  Nicosia  trunk  sewer  (NNTS)  was 
completed  in  November  2021.  The  project  involved  the  construction  of  13  km  of 
sewers  to  convey  wastewaters  from  the  Nicosia  area  to  the  bi-communal  Nicosia 
wastewater  treatment  plant,  itself  an  EU-funded  project  completed  in  2013.  The 
project will reduce groundwater contamination and protect shared water resources for 
the whole island. 

Remedial  works  on  the  Famagusta  sewage  networks  began  in  July  2021,  when 
conditions were right for effective implementation of the contract. 

The two amended works contracts – for a landfill extension and a landfill degassing 
plant,  now  representing  an  investment  of  over  EUR  4.5  million  in  solid  waste 
management  –  progressed  well  despite  the  COVID-19  pandemic.  The  amendments 
allowed the possibility of producing up to 0.8MW electrical power from renewable 
energy sources (collection, treatment and combustion of landfill gas). The electrical 
energy produced would power sustainable treatment of landfill wastewaters (leachate) 
at the newly commissioned treatment facility.  

Unfortunately, the beneficiary has not managed to use the landfill facility as originally 
intended, including the leachate treatment plant. Although commissioned in 2021, the 
leachate treatment plant was subsequently shut down and kept unused for more than 
10 months. This has inevitably led to a significant deterioration of the investment. The 

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Commission is working unceasingly to rectify this situation and get the operation of 
the facility back on track. 

The capacity building service contract introduced circular economy principles in waste 
management practices to local communities. Work began on setting up the first not-
for-profit  producer  responsibility  organisation  for  recycling  packaging  waste.  This 
process is now nearing completion. As part of this initiative, the use of wastewater 
sludge from the Nicosia wastewater treatment plant was successfully trialled and put 
into practice by local farmers. 

In line with the EU-funded integrated solid waste management plan, grants  helping 
eight local communities to improve their waste management infrastructure are in the 
final phase of implementation.  

Local technical capacity to monitor the quality of the environment was strengthened 
through renovation of the air quality monitoring network and the establishment of an 
air and fuel quality reference laboratory. The air quality monitoring network, in full 
operation  throughout  2021,  now  provides  measurements  for  more  pollutants  in  an 
increased number of locations.  

4.2.2.  Objective 2: Promoting social and economic development 

The Aid Programme continued to cover the most urgent needs identified by the health 
sector to fight the COVID-19 pandemic and provided an economic emergency package 
worth EUR 11 million to mitigate its socio-economic impact. 

The project ‘Innovative Entrepreneurship and Dialogue’, implemented with Northern 
Ireland Cooperation Overseas (NI-CO), was the main vehicle for helping to combat 
the adverse economic effects of the pandemic. A total of EUR 7.2 million has been 
allocated to the ‘Safeguarding and Creating Employment’ grant scheme that will see 
86 successful micro- and small businesses receive funding up to a maximum value of 
EUR 60 000.  

In  the  field  of  rural  development,  a  technical  assistance  project  on  farm  advisory 
services (FAS) was extended and will end in January 2024. It aims to assist Turkish 
Cypriot  farmers  with  implementation  of  the  FAS  strategy,  which  includes  the 
provision of advice, training and capacity building to local advisers. 

With a view to support the implementation of the Halloumi/Hellim PDO package, a 
key  intervention  on  food  safety  and  crisis  prepardness  worth  EUR  3.1  million  was 
contracted  in  2021.  The  technical  assistance  project  aims  to  accelerate  the 
implementation of EU-aligned food hygiene and food safety standards in the TCc, and 
to improve preparedness for possible animal diseases crises. 

Furtheremore,  a  technical  assistance  project  to  strengthen  capacities  of  veterinary 
specialists to prevent, control and eradicate animal diseases completed a second large-
scale  sampling  and  testing  of  animals  for  priority  diseases  (brucellosis  and 
tuberculosis). The Commission provided laboratory tests, veterinary consumables, and 
services for the sampling and testing of animals. More than 6 100 herds and more than 
427 000 animals (cattle, sheep and goats) were sampled to detect infected animals and 
remove them from farms. As a result, brucellosis prevalence in the TCc is in decline.  

EU support also contributed to further progress  in engaging private veterinarians to 
implement the sampling and testing of animals. Laboratory equipment worth nearly 
EUR 500 000 was also delivered to help increase the scope and reliability of testing in 
food and health laboratories. 

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In  the  education  sector,  a  technical  assistance  project  on  improving  teaching  and 
learning  helped  to  carry  out  a  situation  analysis  of  continuous  professional 
development and an information and communications technology usage analysis in the 
TCc. The Commission continues to pursue its long-term goal of aligning education for 
Turkish Cypriot children with best international practice. 

The project, worth EUR 1.1 million, to equip primary schools with science laboratories 
has been completed. The furniture and equipment were delivered and installed in 48 
primary schools. A mobile laboratory (a specially equipped bus) was also delivered to 
the  beneficiary.  A  series  of  practical  trainings  were  arranged  for  primary  school 
teachers  who  will  be  conducting  lessons  in  the  laboratories.  In  parallel,  an 
accompanying measure was launched for guidance on effective use and sustainability 
of  the  laboratories.  Preparations  continued  to  provide  laboratories  to  secondary 
schools.  

Although slightly interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, the project on curriculum 
development for vocational education and training continued in the selected vocational 
education  areas  with  the  goal  of  enhancing  the  employability  of  youth.  The 
beneficiaries repeatedly communicated their satisfaction with the project activities and 
asked for it to be extended for 2 more years.   

The  economic  monitoring  programme  conducted  by  the  World  Bank  continued  to 
provide  in-depth  analysis,  technical  assistance  and  proposals  for  improvement.  The 
programme  focused  on  macroeconomic  analysis  and  sustainable  development,  the 
business environment and the trade-related effects of reunification, employability and 
skills with a special focus on women’s economic empowerment, and in-depth analysis 
of specific aspects of agricultural production. 

In the field of statistics, two contracts were signed in 2021 to provide IT infrastructure 
and technical assistance, with the aim of improving business delivery and management 
of administrative data sources. These projects are complemented by targeted assistance 
provided  through  the  Commission’s  technical  assistance  and  information  exchange 
(TAIEX)  instrument  and  the  World  Bank.  The  projects  form  part  of  a  wider  EU 
strategy to improve the production of statistics in the TCc. 

4.2.3.  Objective 3: Fostering reconciliation, confidence-building measures, and support to 

civil society 

The Committee on Missing Persons (CMP), supported by the Aid Programme through 
a contribution agreement with the UNDP, continued its field and laboratory work. By 
the end of 2021, out of the 2 002 total missing persons, the CMP had exhumed 1 184 
sets  of  remains.  Of  these,  1  023  were  identified  genetically  and  returned  to  their 
families.  The  pandemic  and  extremely  hot  weather  significantly  slowed  down  the 
excavation works in 2021, leading the CMP members to continue implementing their 
contingency excavation strategy in case of unforeseen events. 

In  December  2021,  a  new  EUR  2.6  million  contribution  agreement  was  signed  to 
provide  funding  for  CMP  operations  in  2022.  Overall,  in  2006-2021,  the  EU 
contributed over EUR 30 million, amounting to 75% of all funding for the CMP in this 
period. 

Cultural  heritage  protection  through  the  bi-communal  Technical  Committee  on 
Cultural  Heritage  (TCCH)  remained  a  key  component  of  the  reconciliation  and 
confidence-building measures supported under the Aid Programme, with 18 projects 
completed  in  2021.  Overall,  the  cultural  heritage  programme  has  received 

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approximately  EUR  22  million  of  EU  funds.  This  enabled  more  than  107  cultural 
heritage  sites  across  the  island  to  be  conserved,  structurally  supported,  physically 
protected or restored.  

The facility for supporting the bi-communal Technical Committees continued to bring 
the two communities together and solve everyday challenges of Cypriots. Despite the 
pandemic, a number of targeted activities  were implemented by the Committees on 
Culture, Environment, Education and Health. 

After the successful implementation  of  a pilot  bi-communal  scholarship scheme by 
United World Colleges (UWC), a new agreement enabled 10 Turkish Cypriot and 10 
Greek  Cypriot  students  to  commence  the  international  baccalaureate  diploma 
programme  in  various  countries  in  2021.  The  actions  implemented  by  UWC  also 
include  cross-community  youth  engagement  activities  and  short  courses  aimed  at 
empowering the youth to bring about positive change in their societies. 

Support  for  civil  society  continued  in  2021.  Civic  Space,  providing  technical 
assistance  for  civil  society  organisations  (CSOs),  continued  to  help  build  CSOs’ 
capacities, promote an enabling environment for the development of civil society and 
stimulate networking and joint actions with Greek Cypriot and other EU CSOs. Civic 
Space’s active citizenship component, also known as ‘Grow Civic’, has been reviewed 
and will support the rights-based actions of CSOs and activists.  

A total of 11 new grants, mostly for smaller, grassroots CSOs, was awarded under the 
‘Cypriot civil society in action VII’. The bulk of projects from the previous call and 
the anti-trafficking call were successfully completed in 2021. The remaining ones are 
in their final phase of implementation. The grantees who applied with bi-communal 
partners continued collaborating with their Greek Cypriot counterparts. 

In October 2021, the Human Rights Platform association started implementing its EU-
funded direct grant. The platform will monitor and report on anti-trafficking, refugees’ 
rights,  LGBTI+  rights,  relevant  stakeholder  participation,  detention  conditions  and 
freedom from torture. It will also support victims and reinforce the capacities of civil 
society on rights-based issues in general.  

As part of the local  community  grant  scheme, a  shelter to  accommodate  victims of 
domestic violence was built in Nicosia. The project also helped with awareness raising 
and the streamlining of support procedures in the TCc. 

4.2.4.  Objective 4: Bringing the TCc closer to the EU 

Management of the ‘EU scholarships programme’ has been delegated to the British 
Council since the 2014-2015 academic year. The budget available under the last call 
allowed  funding  for  136  scholarships  for  the  2021-2022  academic  year.  These 
scholarships support students during the first year of undergraduate studies, graduate 
students in their masters or doctoral programmes, and researchers and professionals in 
further developing their language and professional skills across EU countries.  

Since 2007, approximately 2 000 grant schemes have been awarded to enable study in 
over 100 EU places of learning involving more than 100 universities, covering 23 EU 
destination  countries  and  training  in  over  20  different  professions.  As  of  2022,  the 
British Council will be replaced by the Goethe Institut as the implementing partner. 
An agreement was finalised with the College of Europe for scholarships for up to three 
Turkish Cypriots, provided they meet the admission criteria. 

The EU Info-point, managed by the EU Programme Support Office together with the 

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Commission Representation in Cyprus, achieved a high level of visibility for the EU 
during 2021 through its activities both online and offline. It covered more than 20 EU-
related  themes,  including  gender  equality,  gender  based  violence,  LGBTI+  rights, 
rights for people with disabilities, disinformation, and health and safety at work. The 
European Green Deal was promoted through webinars on sustainable energy, energy 
efficiency, fire prevention, zero pollution, waste management and packaging waste.  

The  EU  Info-point  organised  32  events,  including  a  large-scale  online  Europe  Day 
campaign and 79 recurring events, including a series of online concerts, introduction 
to  new  European  languages,  and  art  workshops.  The  events  attracted  over  15  000 
participants.  A  large-scale  ‘healthy  lifestyle  for  all’  information  campaign  was 
initiated  and  implemented.  Finally,  12  newsletters  and  9  infographics/publications 
were produced, 471 information products were distributed, and 289 news articles and 
11 TV spots appeared in local media.  

Traffic on the ‘Abbilgi’ Facebook page confirms the popularity of the activities, with 
over 2 000 new followers in  2021, bringing the  total  number of followers  since its 
inception to 22 812.  

4.2.5.    Objectives 5-6: Preparing the Turkish Cypriot community to introduce and implement 

the acquis  

technical  assistance  and 

The  Commission’s 
information  exchange  (TAIEX) 
instrument  is  used to  implement  objectives 5 and 6 of the Aid Regulation  and thus 
helps prepare the TCc for implementation of the acquis in view of the withdrawal of 
its suspension upon the entry into force of a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus 
problem.  

Assistance  continued  in  2021  in  12  main  areas,  or  ‘sectors’,  of  the  acquis.  TAIEX 
support successfully adjusted to the online setting, with increased interest in nearly all 
sectors.  In  total,  147  TAIEX  events  were  organised  in  2021,  a  very  sharp  increase 
compared to 49 events in 2020. In addition to regular TAIEX activities, efforts were 
undertaken to develop a database of all legal texts drafted with TAIEX support and to 
improve the quality of translation and interpretation in the TCc. 

TAIEX  health  experts  provided  continuous  assistance  as  part  of  the  COVID-19 
response.  Support  focused  on  detection  and  mitigation  measures,  primarily  public 
health measures, an effective testing strategy and vaccination plans. The experts also 
helped to enhance laboratory capacity and to set up a pharmacovigilance notification 
network in the TCc. 

TAIEX  support  for  trade  across  the  Green  Line  (Regulation  866/2004)  continued. 
Commission-mandated independent experts resumed regular inspections of potatoes, 
honey and fresh fish in 2021. 

4.3. 

Financial execution (contracts and payments) 

4.3.1.  Contracting 

The Commission signed legal commitments amounting to EUR  30 million in 2021. 
This means that the contracting backlog has been eliminated, taking account of human 
and  financial  constraints,  gaps  in  readiness  for  the  future  acquis  roll-out  and  the 
sustainability of projects.  

4.3.2.  Payments 

Payments in 2021 totalled EUR 38 million (EUR 41 million in 2020).  

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4.4.  Monitoring 

The  Commission  is  directly  responsible  for  implementating  most  projects  (direct 
management). The level of monitoring by Commission staff is very high, with constant 
contacts  with  contractors,  spot-check  visits,  site  meetings  and  steering  committees 
meetings.  The  technical  assistance  provided  by  the  Grant  Support  Team  (GST) 
continued  to  support  the  Commission  in  monitoring  the  implementation  of  grant 
contracts,  while  also  assisting  grant  beneficiaries  in  applying  EU  rules  on 
implementating grant contracts, including secondary procurement rules.  

The Commission also implements a number of contracts through indirect management. 
The implementing bodies, such as the UNDP, the British Council, and NI-CO, report 
to the Commission in line with the respective framework agreements. The Commission 
is closely involved in the day-to-day monitoring of these actions.  

4.5. 

Audit and controls 

The  recommendations  of  the  last  audit  conducted  by  the  Internal  Audit  Service  in 
2017, related to internal control arrangements in the area of public procurement, have 
been fully implemented. 

4.6. 

Evaluation 

The  results-oriented  monitoring  (ROM)  project  continued  to  review  the  selected 
actions  and  delivered  the  planned  trainings  on  the  improved  internal  monitoring 
capacity of relevant stakeholders. The ROM experts’ recommendations on relevance, 
efficiency, effectiveness  and sustainability are being  incorporated into the reviewed 
actions and beyond. 

The mid-term evaluation of the Aid Programme was completed in 2021. Its purpose 
was to provide an overall independent assessment and to gather evidence on progress 
made towards achieving the Aid Regulation objectives for 2013-2018. The final report 
concluded that the Aid Programme can be considered as highly relevant and, given the 
peculiar  circumstances  of  the  TCc  context,  a  relatively  successful  initiative,  with 
substantial EU added value. 

4.7. 

Information, Publicity and Visibility 

Overall, 394 visibility and communication actions were implemented in 2021, mainly 
online due to the COVID-19 restrictions. Preparations advanced for the booklets on 
EU support in response to COVID-19 and on private sector development. 

4.8. 

Consultations with the Government of the Republic of Cyprus 

Meetings were held with representatives of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus, 
both  in  person  and  online.  The  Commission  continues  to  rely  on  the  Government's 
cooperation for the verification of property rights and the facilitation of the work of 
the  bi-communal  technical  committees.  The  Commission  meets  regularly  with  the 
Permanent Representation. 

5. 

CONCLUSIONS 

The Commission continues to deliver assistance under the Aid Regulation to facilitate 
the  reunification  of  Cyprus  by  encouraging  the  economic  development  of  the  TCc, 
through the work it does in line with the Aid Regulation’s six objectives. During 2021, 
assistance  continued  to  focus  on  areas  that  present  particular  problems  for  future 
compliance with the acquis.  

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The track record of past assistance and the maturity of projects will be continuously 
reflected in future programming rounds. Efforts will continue to focus on making a 
greater impact in priority areas through fewer but larger actions. 

The  Commission  stands  ready  to  deploy  resources,  including  under  the  Aid 
Programme, to support settlement negotiations under UN auspices as needed. 

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