Turkish Cypriot Community - Performance

Programme in a nutshell

Concrete examples of achievements (*)

^{(*) Key achievements in the table state which period they relate to. Many come from the implementation of the predecessor programmes under the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework. This is expected and is due to the multiannual life cycle of EU programmes and the projects they finance, where results often follow only after completion of the programmes.}

Budget for 2021-2027

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Rationale and design of the programme

The programme aims to facilitate the reunification of Cyprus by encouraging the economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community.

Budget

Budget programming (million EUR):

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  Financial programming:
  + EUR 48.0 million (+ 25%)
  compared to the legal basis *

^{* Top-ups pursuant to Article 5 of the multiannual financial framework regulation are excluded from financial programming in this comparison.}

Budget performance – implementation

Cumulative implementation rate at the end of 2023 (million EUR):

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Voted budget implementation (million EUR) ^(*):

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Contribution to horizontal priorities

Green budgeting

Contribution to green budgeting priorities (million EUR):

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The aid programme, governed by Council Regulation (EC) No 389/2006, is strictly related to the reunification of Cyprus and operates in relation to six fixed objectives. Green priorities are not covered by these objectives and the legal basis does not have green-specific indicators. The programme does not operate on the basis of multiannual programmes due to its temporary nature; the programmes are annual. Therefore, the programme does not have a logframe with the indicators enumerated above for the multiannual financial framework. 

Even so, the programme has contributed to green priorities through the following initiatives, which were mainly committed during the 2014-2020 multiannual financial framework and implemented up to 2023. 

• The installation of 13.5 kilometres of sewage networks in Nicosia to replace septic tanks that often leaked and contaminated groundwater. 
• The replacement of 45 kilometres of sewage networks in Famagusta to correct all the defects in the system that led to the city being plagued with foul smells for years, thus preventing contamination of groundwater and of the wetlands surrounding the city; 
• The extension of the Morphou wastewater treatment plant to meet needs beyond 2030, when the estimated population would reach 28 000 people. 
• The provision of 10 air quality monitoring network stations, which form an integrated network measuring air quality across the Turkish Cypriot community, with the aim of monitoring air pollution and taking measures to improve air quality. Based on the results, measures were taken to reduce sulphur levels near two oil-fired power plants and dust from construction works. Water sampling equipment was also provided. 
• The rehabilitation of the Koukla water reservoir and wetlands was completed in 2023. This will increase the water supply for irrigation and better protect the natural environment and biodiversity;. 
• The Koutsoventis/Güngör landfill – the only sanitary landfill in the Turkish Cypriot community – was expanded with the completion of the second waste disposal cell and the establishment of a gas collection system with energy recovery and a leachate treatment facility. These facilities are still very poorly managed and operated by the Turkish Cypriot community, resulting in damage to the assets, but remedial actions are underway. 
• The Lapithos/Lapta composting facility , the first in the Turkish Cypriot community, was completed. It aims to compost green waste. 
• The Agios Epiktitos/Çatalköy transfer station for municipal solid waste was completed, serving local communities in the area. 
• Various actions promoted the use of renewable energy, including the introduction of energy-efficiency measures in Lefka/Lefke and in Kyrenia, both designed in 2023 and partially contracted. 
• Finally, a pre-feasibility study for the development of a bi-communal solar power plant was completed. 
• Grants were made to civil-society organisations, including the following. 
  • ‘Sustainable Vasileia/Karșiyaka’ is a project that started in 2021 and aims to contribute to the socioeconomic development of Vasileia/Karșiyaka by achieving zero-waste carbon neutrality by 2030 through increased lobbying and advocacy to persuade the local community to modify their garbage collection practices and a policy to accommodate a recycling programme for Vasileia/Karșiyaka; the reduction of solid waste from Vasileia/Karșiyaka village by 50% within 2 years while reducing municipal costs and generating income from recycling practices; and the integration of an environmental education programme with a focus on climate change and recycling at the village school.  
  • ‘Environmental education: a path to sustainable development’ is an ongoing project that started in 2021 and aims to improve the environmental literacy level of students and teachers in the Famagusta region by contributing to their environmental education. This includes creating and piloting sustainable environmental education models and mechanisms and increasing the number of volunteers and individuals engaged in environmental activism in the Famagusta region. 
  • ‘Impact of terrestrial-used pesticides on the marine environment’ is an ongoing project that started in 2023 and aims to reduce the use of pesticides by improving knowledge of pesticide pollution in the Cyprus marine environment, strengthening the regulatory framework and improving public perceptions and attitudes. 
  • The ‘Capacity-building on environment’ project was contracted in 2023 with a budget of almost EUR 1.5 million. It aims to improve and strengthen the capacity of the Turkish Cypriot community to manage environmental projects throughout their life cycle, with the purpose of protecting the environment and building a green economy. Similarly, the ‘Capacity-building on air quality’ project, contracted in January 2023, aims to improve and strengthen the capacity of the Turkish Cypriot community to manage and monitor air quality in accordance with EU standards. 

The aid programme for the Turkish Cypriot community has as its first objective the development and restructuring of infrastructure, in particular in the areas of energy and transport, the environment, telecommunications and water supply. This means that the infrastructure investments of the aid programme are limited to those sectors, which is due in part to political sensitivities around the Cyprus question. The development and restructuring of infrastructure has been the major component of the aid programme, with a third of total resources allocated to this objective in the instrument’s lifetime. 

The most visible projects that the Commission has funded in the Turkish Cypriot community are the wastewater treatment plants in Nicosia, Famagusta and Morphou, along with the sewerage network in Famagusta and the various phases of the landfill in Koutsoventis/Güngör. One important aspect of these investments is the production of studies and the provision of capacity-building services to local stakeholders. 

The investments that have been made by the European Commission since the establishment of the taxonomy, which are aligned with the specific objectives of Regulation (EC) No 389/2006, are listed in the table below (for 2022 and 2023). 

The amounts in the table above come from different apportionment levels to the specific objectives of the total investment values. The apportionment factors for these projects were assigned when projects make a substantial contribution to the specific objectives, do not harm others and comply with the minimum safeguards and technical criteria. 

The projects funded in 2022 were the establishment of a capacity-building programme on the environment and air quality, environmental inspection and monitoring supplies, the production of a geochemical agent map in the western part of Cyprus and measures to increase energy efficiency in local communities. In 2023 an additional investment was made to bolster local energy-efficiency strategies and energy communities. In total, five projects were screened for the 2022 programme and two projects for the 2023 programme. 

The principles established in the taxonomy are taken into account at the following stages in the project management cycle. 

1. At the time of programming and drafting for the financing decision. 
2. At the time of commitment (when certain amendments are inevitable, or more specificity is needed in terms of objective and targets). 
3. When catering for all reporting needs (before, during and after project implementation). 

Gender

Contribution to gender equality (million EUR) (*):

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The aid programme, governed by Council Regulation (EC) No 389/2006, is strictly related to the reunification of Cyprus and operates in relation to six fixed objectives. Gender priorities are not covered by the objectives and the legal basis does not have gender-specific indicators. The programme does not operate on the basis of multiannual programmes due to its temporary nature; the programmes are annual. Therefore, the programme does not have a logframe with the indicators enumerated above for the multiannual financial framework. 

However, the programme contributes to gender equality in the following ways: 

• promoting the inclusion of women in social and economic life; 
• promoting EU values and inclusiveness, particularly in schools; 
• promoting the sustainable development goals; 
• supporting the development of rural/remote areas; 
• supporting the drafting of legal texts on equality issues (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex issues, anti-trafficking, domestic violence, patients’ rights); 
• providing direct support (via grants) to civil-society organisations addressing equality issues (including women, young people, older people, people with disabilities, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex people, vulnerable groups); 
• promoting gender equality education, prevention of domestic violence and sexual health education in schools. 

Gender equality is considered for aid programme interventions, particularly for the civil-society projects, which include a number of specific actions to achieve this goal and various activities where this fundamental human right is mainstreamed. Some examples are as follows: ‘Equal rights for all: improving employee rights’, where the capacity-building activities and assistance also focus on women’s associations and female employees; the Human Rights Platform, focusing on several thematic areas that also have a gender equality dimension, such as anti-human trafficking, refugee rights and LGBTI+ rights; and ‘Girl scouts leading the future’, which focuses on women’s personal development. With the project ‘Girl scouts leading the future’, implemented between October 2021 and October 2023, 177 women were involved in community activities and 47 trained during the leadership programme. 

Furthermore, civil-society grants signed in 2023 cover two grants with a particular focus on gender equality: ‘Partnership for improving women’s access to productive resources’ and ‘Increasing women economic inclusion and women economic partnership across the Green Line’, pursuing the economic empowerment of women. 

Despite these undertakings, because of the mandate and the nature of the aid programme, the short- and medium-term impact of these projects in producing positive and irreversible structural changes at the societal level is not measured. Therefore, the score for the programme would be 0*. 

Digital

Contribution to digital transition (million EUR):

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The aid programme, governed by Council Regulation (EC) No 389/2006, is strictly related to the reunification of Cyprus and operates in relation to six fixed objectives. Digital priorities are not covered by the objectives and the legal basis does not have digital-specific indicators. The programme does not operate on the basis of multiannual programmes due to its temporary nature; the programmes are annual. Therefore, the programme does not have a logframe with the indicators enumerated above for the multiannual financial framework. 

Even so, the programme contributes to digital transition through the following projects. 

• The Commission is funding the digitisation and online accessibility of the cultural heritage of Cyprus within the framework of ‘Support to cultural heritage monuments of great importance for Cyprus’, a project implemented by the United Nations Development Programme. This includes a three-dimensional point cloud, 360° virtual tours, a multiplayer game, virtual tours of the Othello Tower and virtual tours of a further 15 sites. An online platform has been developed to host this work, which is publicly accessible at www.cyprusdigitalheritage.org. The total value of this digital work is EUR 174 232. An additional nine virtual tours and three-dimensional reconstructions of cultural sites are planned to be completed by May 2024. 
• Information technology infrastructure for the Statistics Institute in the Turkish Cypriot community (a supply contract for EUR 552 056.00 coupled with a service contract for technical assistance amounting to EUR 299 579, signed in 2021). This investment by the EU in building the information technology infrastructure of the Statistics Institute included supplying the required computing and server infrastructure, including 31 personal computers, 31 monitors, specialised software, firewalls, cables, printers, cabinets and switches. To complement this infrastructure support, the technical assistance aimed to develop an information technology system and, through this, to improve the management, coordination and systematic digital transmission of administrative data to be used for statistical purposes. 
• Transition to digital broadcasting and freeing the 700 megahertz frequency band in Cyprus – technical assistance of EUR 207 740 to facilitate the transition and a supply contract for EUR 2 383 878.91 (signed in 2022). The project upgraded the digital terrestrial television infrastructure of the main public television channel in the Turkish Cypriot community. This included the procurement and installation of television transmission and broadcasting supplies. The project contributed to the increased digitalisation of television in the Turkish Cypriot community, bringing improvements in the efficient use of the bandwidth, the quality of the image and audio, capacity for more channels and compatibility with computers and the internet, among other things. 
• Technical assistance for deploying an island-wide animal identification and registration database in Cyprus (EUR 186 400.00) signed in 2022. The objective of this contract is to provide the European Commission with assistance in the preparation of tender documents to procure the necessary supplies and ancillary services that will allow the deployment of an animal identification and registration system that is compatible across communities. 
• The EU innovative entrepreneurship project, funded from the 2017-2020 annual programmes, contributed to the digital transition by promoting the use of digital technology at the level of individual companies and entrepreneurs, institutional stakeholders and secondary school students. A total of 111 training activities focusing on digital marketing, the use of state-of-the art software and website development were carried out at the level of individual companies. Additionally, the EU funded the development of a comprehensive digital member management system for business-support organisations. Lastly, secondary school students were targeted with an education initiative (EU CodeWeek) to teach them coding skills and encourage their use in practice in their own projects (i.e. developing a digital application). A total of 370 students were trained by the end of 2023. The digital transition was further supported by the Into Digital Forum in May 2023, which brought together a total of 333 attendees, 20 booth exhibitors and 18 speakers (businesses, industry experts and civil-society organisations) to share companies’ success stories on the latest trends in digital transformation. 

Budget performance – outcomes

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• The aid programme is implemented in a territory whose existence is not recognised internationally (with the exception of Türkiye) and whose ‘institutions’ should therefore not be strengthened. This means that the Commission is operating with perennially weak partners, and this negatively affects the efficiency and effectiveness of its intervention. 
• The paradox is that such ‘institutions’ often have an important role in implementing the policies required for closer integration with the EU acquis, particularly in areas such as animal health and food safety. This unique situation has a certain number of consequences when it comes to programme implementation, including the following. 
  • Property rights have to be respected when it comes to works contracts. This limits the scope of our intervention in terms of geographic areas. In addition, the procedure for property clearance (via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus) is long and cumbersome, and is delaying the implementation of our works contracts. 
  • For almost 10 years, the EU has supported the Turkish Cypriot community with a number of projects relating to improving solid waste management, with an overall investment amount exceeding EUR 30 million. However, major problems remain. The sector is poorly managed and is still not socially, financially and environmentally sustainable. Accordingly, the Commission is conducting an overall independent and critical assessment of the past performance of all EU-funded interventions in the waste sector in the Turkish Cypriot community. Depending on the results of this evaluation, the Commission may decide to adopt a more conservative approach with regard to financing future interventions in the field of waste. 
  • In the animal health and food safety policy area, progress in the practical implementation of EU standards relies on the prior enforcement of relevant legal texts. These, however, are not prioritised in the adoption plan of legal texts by the Turkish Cypriot community, hindering progress and resulting in long delays. Via relevant support tools, including expertise in the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument, significant assistance has been provided to local bodies in the Turkish Cypriot community in this respect. 
• In an attempt to overcome the challenges explained above, the programme choices reflect a renewed approach to ensuring a more tangible and visible impact in the priority areas. The overarching aim is that the proposals that are presented follow a strategic approach based on the key programming principles. The programming discussions for the 2024 aid programme have shown the effectiveness of this approach, being more targeted and tailored towards addressing the priority needs of the community. 
• The modifications will address an improvement in political priority and ownership, finalising projects (i.e. project maturity) through good track records on implementation, and sequencing and streamlining the project pipeline appropriately. 
• Since the first projects under the 2021-2027 multiannual financial framework for the programme began to be implemented only in 2022, it is too early to make a meaningful performance assessment. The majority of funds committed from the 2021-2022 annual programmes were allocated for the continuation of projects where a positive impact has been established. The Commission’s staff working document on the results of the evaluation of the aid programme was published in 2022 (⁶⁴). This evaluation provided an independent assessment and evidence of the progress made during 2013-2018 towards the objectives set out in the underlying aid regulation (Council Regulation (EC) No 389/2006). The evaluation concluded that the aid programme is highly relevant and that overall, given the specific circumstances of the Turkish Cypriot community context, it is a successful initiative and of high added value. 
• The key monitoring indicators have been amended for the 2021-2027 period to better target the achievements of the programme, notably in order to render them as tangible and concrete as possible. 

Key performance indicators 

• The programme is on track in all areas of intervention. However, its ultimate success will depend on the will of both communities in the Cyprus dispute to arrive at a settlement. This is an essential condition for success. The programme assumes that such a willingness to arrive at a solution exists and is building the capacity of the Turkish Cypriot community to integrate in a bi-communal and bi-zonal federation, with the adoption of the EU acquis. 
• As a particular achievement, the programme succeeded in its efforts to register ‘Χαλλούμι (Halloumi)/Hellim’ as a product of protected designation of origin (PDO) and laying down the conditions for the movement of this product over the Green Line through two measures adopted in April 2021. Considering that the acquis is suspended in the Turkish Cypriot community, the assistance is being directed through a comprehensive package of various interventions supporting the setting up and functioning of the food safety system in the Turkish Cypriot community. It includes, among other items: 
  • technical assistance to Turkish Cypriot community local bodies to set up and improve food-safety-related standards implementation, with its focus on the dairy sector and milk quality, especially regarding hygiene; 
  • technical assistance and supplies to enable the control of animal diseases, including the eradication activities and provision of veterinary medicinal products approved by the European Medicines Agency; 
  • grant support for farmers and food business operators in upgrading their production practices to meet EU standards;  
  • expert assistance in drafting local legal texts in accordance with EU legislation; 
  • supplies and technical assistance for setting up / upgrading laboratory capacity and an animal identification and registration system. 
• Within this context, dedicated technical experts supported farmers, food business operators and local bodies in charge of controls throughout the food production chain to help them meet the requirements of the PDO scheme. 
• As a result, in March 2023, the first Halloumi/Hellim produced in the Turkish Cypriot community was certified as PDO compliant. By the end of 2023, three Halloumi/Hellim cheese producers and 15 farms in the Turkish Cypriot community had respectively been certified and attested under the PDO scheme. Targeted support will continue to help Turkish Cypriots in the implementation of upgrades to meet EU sanitary and phytosanitary standards in the food production value chain and in animal health, including with a view to enabling the Green Line trade of PDO-compliant Turkish Cypriot community-produced Halloumi/Hellim. The implementation of the PDO scheme continued to be accompanied by meetings of the bi-communal EU Informal Working Group on Halloumi/Hellim, which held four meetings in 2023. 
• The Commission’s financial support for the implementation of the Halloumi/Hellim package in the Turkish Cypriot community entails an allocation of up to EUR 40 million over the 2021-2024 financial years, with EUR 7.5 million already allocated under the 2021 programme, EUR 7.7 million under the 2022 programme and EUR 10 million under the 2023 programme. This funding is on top of the EUR 35 million spent by 2020 to improve food safety and animal health in the dairy sector, including by ameliorating milk quality and milk collection, registering all farmed ruminants (mainly cattle, sheep and goats), eradicating animal diseases, strengthening the veterinary service, setting up a laboratory, improving farming operations and adapting legal texts to comply with the relevant EU acquis and standards. 
• The Halloumi/Hellim package is a confidence-building measure that requires a massive technical upgrade of the Turkish Cypriot community animal health and food safety capacity, from legal texts, to animal testing and sampling, to inspections and the implementation of standards at farms and the food business operator level. The end target of the confidence-building measure is access (and continued access) by Turkish Cypriot Hellim producers to EU market, which has not been yet achieved. The scope is first to create a system whereby access is possible and, once available, to assess how to maintain the system without the implementation of key tasks by the Commission. The aid programme is about bringing the communities together, thus specifically for the Halloumi)/Hellim package this is a continuous process that includes evolving elements, due in part to the sensitive political climate. 
• For objective 1, ‘Developing and restructuring of infrastructure’, 263 kilometres of new water supply networks have been financed through the programme, providing high-quality drinking water without traces of rust or asbestos fibres, and 125 kilometres of sewerage pipes were laid to replace septic tanks that often leaked and contaminated groundwater. The new 52-kilometre sewage network in Morphou has protected a large groundwater reserve that serves most of the Cypriot population. Three wastewater treatment plants were constructed at a cost of almost EUR 20 million for Nicosia, Famagusta and Morphou, and the remedial works for the Famagusta sewerage network have been finalised. The replacement of the 45-kilometre sewage network in Famagusta has helped correct all the defects in the system, which had led to the city being plagued with foul smells for years, thereby preventing contamination of groundwater and of the wetlands surrounding the city. Ten air quality monitoring network stations were provided, which form an integrated network measuring air quality across the Turkish Cypriot community. A shelter for survivors of domestic violence was constructed in Nicosia and handed over in 2022, providing a safe space for up to 12 women and their children. A community centre worth EUR 1 million was constructed in the Maronite village of Kormakitis to serve as a multicultural event venue for all Cypriot communities. Opened in March 2023, it hosts educational and youth activities, conferences, meetings and cultural events. The centre offers basic accommodation facilities and catering for around 70 people. 

Furthermore, a pre-feasibility study for a bi-communal solar power plant in the buffer zone was near delivery by the end of 2023. 

As part of objective 2, ‘Promoting social and economic development’, the programme assisted the Turkish Cypriot community in implementing upgrades to meet EU standards in the areas of food safety and animal health, and in the prevention, detection and elimination of animal diseases. The prevalence of brucellosis among cattle, sheep and goats reduced through animal disease eradication projects from over 10% in 2016 to below 1% in the 2023 testing campaign. Tuberculosis and foot-and-mouth disease have already been eradicated. The Turkish Cypriot community is supported in its activities relating to the prevention, monitoring, reporting and eradication of animal diseases under the aid programme. Given its economic importance, support for the Turkish Cypriot community agricultural sector continued with the implementation of farm advisory services targeting farmers and farmer organisations. Also, 53 rural development grants were successfully finalised, producing visible results in modernising agricultural practices. Technical assistance in the form of tailored advisory services and training has been granted to farmers and rural people, resulting in the development of a robust network of committed stakeholders, an overall improvement in agricultural practices and the greater awareness of the challenges faced by the sector both locally and globally. More than 350 people received vocational education and training on issues ranging from farm management and organic agriculture to dairy cattle and beekeeping practices, among other areas. Support has been mobilised under the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument to adapt legal texts in line with EU standards. This combination of financial, technical and regulatory support has helped create a support network for the sector, which results in improved living conditions for a specific rural population. 

• The Commission continued to implement economic support packages for small and medium-sized enterprises. Grants worth EUR 10 million were disbursed during 2020-2022 to help 2 400 businesses cope with the economic repercussions of the COVID-19 crisis. This includes 2 300 micro and small businesses – from cafes and hairdressers to small and medium-sized enterprises active in business-to-business services, manufacturing and industry – which received grants of EUR 1 500–2 000 to stay afloat. In addition, nearly 100 businesses received grants, resulting in the creation of more than 200 new jobs, the introduction of EU quality standards and support for the digital transformation. The EU into business programme reached more than 1 150 entrepreneurs, culminating in the creation of 36 new businesses. The EU Incubator Hive was launched, driving high-value start-ups. 
• Overall, EUR 55 million has been invested since 2006 to support small and medium-sized enterprises, which dominate the Turkish Cypriot economy. More than 160 grants worth EUR 18 million have been disbursed since 2008 to small and medium-sized enterprises and start-ups to support innovation and competitiveness, the green and digital transitions and compliance with EU standards, with recent grants amounting to an average of EUR 185 000. 
• Under objective 3, ‘Fostering reconciliation, confidence-building measures and support to civil society’, more than 150 cultural heritage sites have been conserved, structurally supported, physically protected or restored across the island with EU funding. The programme supports strengthening civil society as a key factor in developing a culture of dialogue, participation in community life and promotion of the values of tolerance, peace and active citizenship – along with reconciliation, a closer relationship and trust between the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities. Close to EUR 38.5 million was provided during 2006-2023 to the bi-communal Committee on Missing Persons and more than EUR 27.5 million in support was given in 2011-2023 to the bi-communal Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage (representing around 80% of its budget). 
• Under objective 4, the programme supported a significant number of researchers and students with grants and scholarships to attend universities in EU Member States, and the second Turkish Cypriot with an EU scholarship was admitted to the College of Europe in 2022/2023. By the end of 2023, more than 2 150 scholarships for Turkish Cypriots had been financed to the amount of over EUR 38 million, allowing them to study at university or do an internship in a Member State. Alumni Connect Digital, an online platform, was also launched for the enhanced engagement of scholarship alumni. The EU scholarship programme for Cypriot youth with the United World Colleges was launched in 2019. It has so far provided 46 young Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots with scholarships to complete a 2-year International Baccalaureate course at one of the United World Colleges, which aim to unite people for peace and a sustainable future. More than 210 other young Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots have participated in online and residential United World Colleges courses, youth engagement activities and short courses in Cyprus aimed at developing leadership and interpersonal skills. To date, the United World Colleges programme for young Cypriots has reached over 1 000 young Cypriot and international people, along with an extended community of parents, educators and other collaborators on the island. 
• Under objectives 5 and 6, the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument continues to provide an important contribution to the aid programme, with more than 250 experts from Member States mobilised to support Turkish Cypriot beneficiaries in drafting legal texts in line with EU standards, provide assessments and produce studies, raise awareness about the EU acquis and steer the organisation of study visits for Turkish Cypriots to Member States. This support was provided through a combination of online and on-site missions and study visits across 12 thematic areas or sectors of the EU acquis, to facilitate the reunification of Cyprus. The EU also provided assistance for the short-term needs of the beneficiaries to address requirements in various sectors (health, free movement of goods, energy, etc). Experts in the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument have a crucial role in Green Line trade, as they certify products from the Turkish Cypriot community intended to be traded across the Green Line and ensure they are in line with EU standards. 
• In 2023, the value of Green Line trade amounted to EUR 16 million, up from EUR 14.6 million the previous year. In addition to the six types of processed foods of non-animal origin that were permitted for Green Line trade for the first time in 2022 (namely olive oil, tahini, halva, carob syrup, jams and fruit juice), materials that come in contact with food and two new processed food products of non-animal origin were admitted for trade, namely table olives and various fruit juices. Experts in the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange instrument continued to ensure that EU standards for the traded food products were met, including by providing phytosanitary inspections and certificates for all traded fruits and vegetables. As a result, there was a high level of interest in the business community in support to increase compliance with EU standards. To further facilitate Green Line trade, DG Structural Reform Support launched the EU One-Stop Shop, which provides knowledge, support and networking opportunities to businesses and traders interested or engaged in such trade. 

Contribution to the sustainable development goals