Commission supports the Turkish Cypriot community with €39.5 million under the 2024 Aid Programme

September 4, 2024 by European Union Leave a Comment

This article is brought to you in association with the European Commission.

Today, the Commission adopted the 2024 Annual Action Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community, allocating €39.5 million in new EU funding to facilitate Cyprus’ reunification and to support the socio-economic development of the community.

The 2024 Annual Action Programme offers further support to implement the Aid Programme’s key flagship projects, such as the Halloumi/Hellim Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) package and boosting Green Line trade.

The Halloumi/Hellim PDO is the first EU protected designation that is not only open to producers from the government-controlled areas of Cyprus, but also to Turkish Cypriot producers. Funding from the 2024 programme will support Turkish Cypriot producers comply with EU food safety and animal health standards, a requirementfor the placement of their products on the EU market.

A grant support scheme for stakeholders in the dairy and agricultural food sectors will also help producers to meet the required standards to sell PDO-compliant Halloumi/Hellim across the Green Line and reap the benefits of this trade.

In line with the EU’s Green Deal objectives, the programme earmarks funding for the construction of a bicommunal solar power plant, should the two communities agree to it. The project would increase bicommunal cooperation in the areas of energy efficiency and green electricity production.

Grants and technical assistance will be directed into private sector development, supporting small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs to grow and consolidate their businesses.

Technical assistance will be provided in the area of education, with tailored support and laboratory equipment available for teachers and workers to enhance their skills around lifelong learning and special needs education.

Supporting a bicommunal scholarship programme remains a priority for the 2024 wave of funding. Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot students will be offered support to jointly attend the international baccalaureate programme at one of the peace-oriented United World Colleges (UWC).

To build confidence between the Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot communities, the programme also includes continued support for the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus, as well as the restoration of Cyprus’ cultural heritage. This support aims to promote reconciliation and respect for Cyprus’ diverse culture and religions.

Background

The Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community aims to facilitate the reunification of Cyprus by encouraging the socio-economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community. It supports confidence-building measures, civil society, and several projects to bring the Turkish Cypriot community closer to the EU. It also mobilises EU experts to help bring standards and procedures in line with EU legislation.

Between 2006 and 2024, €728 million has been allocated for projects under the Aid Programme. The Programme is managed by the Commission’s Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM).

For more information

The Annual Action Programme for the Turkish Cypriot Community

EU Aid Programme for Turkish Cypriot community

Annual reports on the implementation of the Aid Regulation for the Turkish Cypriot community

Structural Reform Support

@ElisaFerreiraEC

Quote(s)

The Commission continues to facilitate the reunification of Cyprus with annual dedicated support packages for the Turkish Cypriot community, aiming to boost socio-economic development, build confidence between the two Cypriot communities, and facilitate the important work of civil society. Focusing on flagship initiatives such as the Halloumi/Hellim PDO package and trade across the Green Line, this year’s Action Programme seeks to make a tangible contribution to paving the way towards the resumption of reunification talks within the UN framework.

Elisa Ferreira, Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms

Discover more from The European Sting - Critical News & Insights on European Politics, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Business & Technology - europeansting.com

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

This article is published in association with United Nations.

‘Connect the dots’ between street protests and global turmoil, urges Guterres

October 23, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. The international community must combat inequality and stop wars from expanding to ensure a safer world for all, the UN Secretary-General said on Thursday. Speaking to reporters in New York ahead of a visit to Egypt, António Guterres addressed growing public discontent in Europe and beyond, […]

© SOS Méditerranée/Anthony Jean Up to $500 million was paid in migrant smuggling fees on sea routes to Europe in 2025, according to new UN estimates.

Migrants paid up to $500 million in smuggling fees on European sea routes

October 22, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. The price tag for smuggling on European sea routes reached up to half a billion dollars last year, the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the UN migration office, IOM, reported on Wednesday. Key points Almost half of migrants trying to get smuggled into […]

The author of this article explored other courses in different fields, but it was in medicine that she found her place. From the beginning of her studies, Valéria discovered in medical practice more than just a career: she found her vocation when she realized that caring for others also gave meaning to her own life. Driven by a genuine desire to help, the student stood out as a Teaching Assistant in Public Health, strengthening her humanized perspective. Today, she is part of the coordinating board of IFMSA UNEX MED, working in the Human Rights and Peace (SCORP) area, where she transforms empathy into action and social commitment into real impact.

Global warming will breach 1.5°C – but deep, fast cuts can still bring it back

October 21, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. With global temperature rise set to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, countries “must pull out all the stops” and urgently cut emissions to minimize the overshoot and return to the internationally agreed threshold by the end of this century. The recommendation comes in the Emissions Gap […]

© Agricultural Development Association – PARC A farmer in the West Bank harvest olives in October 2025. (file)

‘Season of fear’: Escalating Israeli attacks on West Bank olive farmers, deadly strikes on Gaza

October 20, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Israeli attacks on war-torn Gaza over the weekend killed at least six Palestinians, including children, despite a year-old ceasefire agreement. Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, settler violence continued through the ongoing olive harvest, with UN independent experts on Monday urging Israel to protect Palestinian farmers. […]

COP17: The world has a plan to save nature. Is it working?

October 19, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN Secretary-General has called for an end to the “war on nature”. On Monday, governments gathering in Yerevan, Armenia, will have to confront a more practical question: are they doing enough to win the peace and put the world’s biodiversity goals back on track? COP17, […]

© WHO A large-scale combined missile and drone strike hit Kyiv's Solomianskyi district on August 20, 2026.

Ukraine: Critical health supplies destroyed in ongoing Russian attacks

October 16, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Ongoing and deadly Russian attacks across Ukraine are causing serious healthcare disruption, with more than $1.5 million-worth of medicines and supplies destroyed in four separate strikes on warehouses used by the UN there since July. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 21 warehouses have been […]

© UNICEF/Niccolò Corti A child sits alone, praying, at a reception centre for migrants in Lampedusa, Italy.

World News in Brief: West African migrant crossings, Argentina takes UK to maritime tribunal, farming in Gaza, mental health update

October 15, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Fewer people from West Africa are reaching Europe by sea, but the journey has not become safer, the UN migration agency (IOM) said on Tuesday. Arrivals from Mali, Senegal, Guinea and The Gambia fell by 59 per cent in the first half of 2026 compared with […]

© UN Ukraine The aftermath of a drone attack in a residential area in Kyiv on 12 October.

Ukraine: Residents killed and dozens injured in attacks on Kharkiv and Kyiv

October 14, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Russian attacks in recent days on on Ukraine’s two largest cities have again killed and injured civilians, damaged homes and civilian infrastructure, the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) said on Tuesday. Aid workers and rescuers were on the ground in Kyiv and Kharkiv following aerial strikes that […]

© IOM The war in Sudan has created extreme levels of displacement, both internally and across Sudan’s borders.

‘Efficiency has limits’: UNHCR chief warns refugee protection is buckling under cuts

October 13, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. The money is running out faster than needs are growing: with 117 million men, women and children now forced from their homes, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) has received just $3 billion of the $8.5 billion it needs this year – and its chief, Barham Salih, warns […]

© UNOCHA/Ramatoulaye Moussa Maz A woman walks through a camp for displaced people in Ituri Province in eastern DR Congo, where decades of violence have impacted millions, creating a humanitarian emergency.

Rise in poverty is ‘a wake-up call for the world’, UN development chief says

October 13, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. The number of people living in “multidimensional” poverty has risen for the first time in 15 years, reaching 1.2 billion, as families struggle to meet their basic needs. The finding comes in the 2026 update of the global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) published by the United Nations […]

© UNDP Nidaa with the chickens and ducks she raises in Gaza.

Sustaining livelihoods amid crisis in Gaza

October 12, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Nidaa, Hanaa and Hanin have different stories, but share a common thread: the determination to build something of their own and keep it going despite extraordinary challenges facing them in war-ravaged Gaza. Following the devastation of the past three years, productive capacity in Gaza has been severely […]

© UNICEF/Oleksii Filippov A firefighter works on the balcony of a wrecked building in Kyiv, Ukraine.

World News in Brief: Russian attacks continue in Ukraine, Gazans shelter in flood-prone areas, keeping sight of eye health

October 9, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. UN human rights chief Volker Türk said on Thursday he was appalled by a wave of attacks that have killed civilians across Ukraine over the past four days. They include a strike on two public buses in Kramatorsk on Thursday, that left at least 30 civilians dead, […]

Ukraine: UN condemns latest attacks and calls for civilian protection

October 8, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN Humanitarian Coordinator for Ukraine on Wednesday called for an end to attacks against civilians following further overnight strikes by Russian forces that reportedly killed at least 19 in the Chernihiv Region. Among the dead in Pryluky were five children, three of them babies, according to the […]

© UNICEF-SoP/Crickx People walk down a dusty road in the West Bank carrying belongings.

Israeli demolition in East Jerusalem displaces 69 Palestinians

October 7, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Sixty-nine Palestinians – more than half of them children – were displaced on Tuesday after Israeli authorities green lit the demolition of their residential building in the At Tur area of East Jerusalem, the UN aid coordination office (OCHA) has reported. This is the highest number of […]

‘The clock on AI regulation is ticking’, warns UN rights chief

October 6, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. The world is running out of time to put guardrails on artificial intelligence, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned Monday, as a “ruthless race” between companies and countries raises concerns about human safety and even humanity’s survival. Speaking in the UK at an AI […]

© UNOCHA/Alina Basiuk A school in Ukraine lies in ruins after being hit by a missile.

Ukraine war ‘a human rights catastrophe’ that must end, says Türk

October 5, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Human Rights The war in Ukraine is a human rights catastrophe that is “growing and intensifying by the week” and threatening an even greater disaster across the region, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said on Friday. Addressing the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Mr. […]

UN News Massive tent settlement of displaced residents extends along the damaged Gaza coastline.

Palestinians yearn for ‘a return to normal life’, says top Middle East peace envoy

October 2, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN is continuing efforts to support Palestinians in Gaza amid major challenges to humanitarian access, reconstruction and the restoration of essential services, according to Ramiz Alakbarov, Acting UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. Speaking to UN News on the margins of the UN […]

©UNIFIL/Tilak Pokharel UNIFIL personnel distribute food kits to displaced families in Saida, Lebanon (file).

Lebanon: One in five children goes to bed hungry, says UNICEF

October 1, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Four in five households in Lebanon struggle to afford basic necessities today, with children increasingly going without food, missing school and being pushed into work as conflict compounds years of economic crisis. “I wanted to buy clothes for my children, but I could not. I also wanted […]

World News in Brief: Deadly Myanmar strikes as Malaysia begins deportations, new emergency funding released, Gaza and West Bank update

September 30, 2026

The UN chief on Tuesday strongly condemned an airstrike that reportedly killed at least 50 people at a market in Myanmar’s Rakhine state and called for those responsible to be held to account. Forces from the military junta reportedly hit Kyauktaw township around midday on Monday, when the market’s more than 200 shops were busy […]