Regular report from the Commission on Cyprus' progress towards accession 1998.

Abstract

The conclusions of the European Council in Cardiff stated that “The EuropeanCouncil welcomes the Commission’s confirmation that it will submit at the end of1998 its first regular reports on each candidate’s progress towards accession...”The present report is a response to the European Council request.The Commission submitted an opinion on Cyprus to the Council in July 1993. Itstated that, “in regard to economic aspects, the adoption of the acquis communautairewould pose no insurmountable problems”. The opinion also stated "there would be agreater chance of narrowing the development gap between north and south in theevent of Cyprus’s integration with the Community.”The European Council repeatedly stated, notably at Dublin in December 1996, thatnegotiations on the accession of Cyprus would begin six months after the conclusionof the Inter-Governmental Conference (IGC) which resulted in the signing of theTreaty of Amsterdam on 2 October 1997.In Agenda 2000, in 1997, the Commission stressed that while Cyprus would surelynot encounter major problems in embracing the acquis communautaire, it would haveto improve the alignment of its financial rules and practices with those of theEuropean Union (EU), and ensure that cooperation and supervision in all areas ofjustice and home affairs were stepped up