Written question asked by Andrew Dismore (Labour) on Friday, 27 June 2003, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 8 July 2003. It was answered by Denis MacShane (Labour) on Tuesday, 8 July 2003 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for Turkish Cypriot EU citizens applying for jobs with the EU Commission, in the event of Turkish not being an official language of the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Answer: Mr. Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for Turkish Cypriot EU citizens applying for jobs with the EU Commission, in the event of Turkish not being an official language of the EU; and if he will make a statement. [R] [123164] Mr. MacShane: The Republic of Cyprus has specified to the EU that its official language is Greek. Any Cypriot citizen applying for jobs within the Commission would have to work with the official languages of the Union. In the event of a comprehensive settlement on the basis of the UN plan and consequent EU membership by a reunited Cyprus, it is likely that Turkish would become an official language of the EU. In that way, the current anomalous situation would be resolved. We are urging both sides to resume negotiations and commit to securing a settlement on the basis of the UN plan.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 123164; 408 c745W;408 c742-3W
Session: 2002-03
Registered interest declared: Yes
Subjects: Cyprus EU accession EU enlargement Languages Greece Recruitment Nationality Turkey European Commission
Link: View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk