European Commissioner on Enlargement Štefan Füle has expressed the Commission’s position in favour of measures aiming at increasing confidence and anchoring the Turkish Cypriot community closely to the EU.

He was replying in writing, on March 18, to questions posed to him on the matter of Turkish Cypriot electoral rights in European elections by MEPs Andrew Duf (ALDE) and Norbert Neuser (S&D).

Cyprus House of Representatives plenary passed by majority on March 13 a law which grants Turkish Cypriots who reside in areas not controlled by the Republic of Cyprus the automatic right to exercise their voting rights in the forthcoming European Elections, which take place on May 25, by including all Cypriots possessing a new Republic of Cyprus identification card in the electoral roll. There are currently approximately 95,000 Turkish Cypriots who possess a Republic of Cyprus new identification card.

“In accordance with Article 8 of the Act of 20 September 1976 concerning the election of the representatives of the European Parliament by direct universal suffrage(1), the electoral procedure for the election of the Members of the European Parliament is governed in each Member State by its national provisions, subject to the provisions of that Act”, he says.

Füle continues that “pursuant to Article 223 TFEU, it is for the European Parliament to draw up proposals to lay down the provisions necessary for the election of its Members”.

The Commission, he says, “understands that two bills on the automatic registration of voters for the forthcoming European Parliament elections in May are currently under consideration in the Republic of Cyprus”.

He further expresses the Commission’s position “in favour of measures aiming at increasing confidence and anchoring the Turkish Cypriot community closely to the European Union”.