Written question asked by Andrew Dismore (Labour) on Friday, 20 October 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 24 October 2006. It was answered by Geoffrey Hoon (Labour) on Tuesday, 31 October 2006 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Cyprus

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what assessment she has made of the extent of trade across the Green Line in Cyprus compliant with the Green Line Regulation; and if she will make a statement;

Answer: We have made no independent assessment of the extent of trade under the Green Line Regulation. The EU Commission recently reported that, while a range of goods are traded, the overall volume remains small, totalling approximately €2 million per year, and obstacles remain to its further development. No assessment has been made of banking services across the Green Line and this issue does not feature in the Commission’s report. (A copy of the recent annual report on the implementation of the Green Line Regulation has been placed in the Library of the House).

Secondary information