The interministerial coordination of European affairs in each Member State is essential to ensuring the coherence and effectiveness of national efforts in the European context. To this end, most EU Member States have set up a specific coordination mechanism at national level.
Up until February 2019, there was no central coordination body for European affairs in the administration of the Republic of Cyprus, although there had been attempts to set up a coordination mechanism since the Republic of Cyprus joined the European Union in 2004.
In 2012, when the Republic of Cyprus held the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Cypriot authorities created a secretariat to carry out the activities. However, this body was rapidly dissolved at the end of the Presidency. The extension of the EU agenda and increase in the number of horizontal issues led to the creation of the Cypriot General Secretariat for European Affairs in February 2019.
Strengthening the position of the Government of Cyprus in European affairs
The technical assistance project aimed to strengthen the General Secretariat for European Affairs (GSEA) as an effective government body in order to promote and better coordinate European affairs. It sought to improve the formulation, coordination and coherence of the positions of Cyprus in order to ensure that there was a common and unified national position before the EU.
After the completion of the analysis of the GSEA, the project was subsequently extended to the broader scope of European coordination, focusing on the organisation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) in terms of European affairs. The project analysed the formulation of national positions, as well as the mapping of existing tools, change management and the processing and archiving of documents.
What are the SGAE’s mandates?
The mandate of the General Secretariat for European Affairs comprises the main characteristics of the interministerial coordination of European affairs:
• Assist the Minister of Foreign Affairs with EU-related matters
• Promote the development of a national strategy for European affairs, by ensuring its implementation and the coordination of the relevant government authorities
• Ensure the flow of information and development of national positions on issues related to European affairs, in cooperation with the relevant government authorities
• Assist the President of the Republic with EU-related matters and their participation in the Council of Europe meetings
• Coordinate the transposition of EU directives and the actions related to the infringement proceedings against the Republic of Cyprus
• Coordinate the relations of the Republic of Cyprus with European institutions, in cooperation with the Permanent Representation of the Republic of Cyprus to the EU
• Provide secretariat and support services to the Interministerial Committee for European Affairs.
Activities and outcomes
Through its activities based on peer-to-peer cooperation, the project aimed to provide operational recommendations for the operations of the GSEA and MFA.
The project’s main activities were the following:
• Institutional analysis and mapping
• Action plans
• Training and seminars on best practices
• A study visit
