The EC-Cyprus Association Agreement: Ten Years of a Troubled Relationship, 1973-1983

The European Economic Community (EEC) is linked to the Republic of Cyprus through a 2-stage Association Agreement signed December 19, 1972. The first stage was to expire June 30, 1977, and involved preferential treatment for Cypriot exports in the UK and Ireland, Cyprus' traditional trading partners. The 2nd stage was to involve the progressive establishment of a customs trade union by the 1980s. However, by the end of 1983, the 2nd stage had not come into being. Several successive temporary protocols have extended the first stage with only minor improvements. ECC-Cyprus relations during the last 10 years are examined and the reasons why the Association has not achieved its aims are explored. The Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and the subsequent partition of the island into Turkish and Greek Cypriot sectors has complicated Cypriot relations with the EEC. The gradual development of a customs union between the EEC and Cyprus will depend on 6 factors, including: 1. the extent to which Cyprus feels committed still to a close relationship with the EEC, 2. the prospects for a settlement of the Cypriot political problem, and 3. a change in attitude by some EEC members.