The Juncker Commission: Two Years On

The Representation of the European Commission in Cyprus held a presentation on “The Juncker Commission: Two Years On” at Merit Hotel Nicosia on 17 January. The presentation, which was made by Mr.George Markopouliotis, the Head of the European Commission in Cyprus, covered the Juncker Commission’s two year progress focusing on the 21 key initiatives to implement EU’s 10 political priorities in 2017. 
The European Union is facing unprecedented challenges ranging from high unemployment, slow economic growth, economic uncertainties and a huge investment gap to migratory pressure and environmental and security challenges, as well as instability in its neighbourhood. To meet these challenges, Jean-Claude Juncker's Commission identified the 10 key priorities that are the main focus for the EU institutions. There are 21 key initiatives to implement the EU’s 10 political priorities in 2017 to deliver a Europe that protects, empowers and defends.

A Day in the Life of a Disabled Person

For the European Day of People with Disabilities, the European Commission organised a panel discussion titled “A day in the life of a disabled person” on 6 January at Merit Hotel, Nicosia in partnership with the Cyprus Hearing and Speech Impaired Foundation, LTB Dance School for Disabled Children, Social Services Department, and the Turkish Cypriot Association of Orthopedic Disability. After the opening speech by Mr.Alessandro Bianciardi, the presentations of the speakers İdil Seda Ak, Gülay Gündüz Efendi, Ruhsar Vudalı, Mehmet Geçit, Bahire Doğru and Çelen Çağansoy covered the EU policy on people with disabilities, best practices from the EU, implementations in the Turkish Cypriot community, testimonials from people living with a disability, and recommendations for the future. The aim of the event was to improve awareness about the importance of social inclusion for disabled individuals. As part of the European Day of People with Disabilities, series of activities, two “Introduction to Sign Language” seminars were also held in Nicosia and Kyrenia in December 2016.

Traffic Safety Video Competition Prize Ceremony

The results of the Traffic Safety Short Video Competition, which was organised by the European Commission to highlight the importance of traffic safety and to raise awareness among youth about preventive measures, were announced at the EU Infopoint on 13 January. After the opening speeches by Mr.Alessandro Bianciardi and Ms.Nazmiye Çelebi, the top 3 films which were produced by Mahmut Ersin Altan, Semih Aslan and Abdülkadir Kel were screened and the winners were awarded. The films focused on how mobile phone use and careless driving can risk everyone's life at the traffic and how this can cause accidents, injuries and even death.
The traffic safety video competition was organised in collaboration with Traffic Accidents Prevention Association, Traffic Department and TRAKAYAD. The launch of the competition took place on 11 November and interested individuals submitted their videos until 9 January. The jury members of the competition were Assist. Prof. Hüseyin Sevay, Assist. Prof. Yetin Arslan, Dr. Mehmet Avcı, Mehmet Ekin Vaiz, and Yeliz Shukri, who are representatives of partner organizations and experts from the field of video/film production. During the prize ceremony, the jury members mentioned the measures to be taken to prevent traffic accidents during their speeches.

You can watch the winner films by clicking the links:
1st prize : https://youtu.be/nHtXRSNQlPY
2nd prize : https://youtu.be/QxD4Mxobofw
3rd prize : https://youtu.be/5wUTWiiT0vI

The prize ceremony of the Battery Collection Competition, which was launched in June 2016 by the European Commission as part of Green Week 2016, was held on 11 January at EU Infopoint with the participation of the winning schools and students. More than 40 schools and hundreds of students participated in the competition and more than 2.000 kgs of used batteries were collected during the competition period. After the opening speeches by Mrs.Kezban Akansoy and Mr.Rauf Ataöv, the top 3 schools, Doğu Akdeniz Doğa İlkokulu, TED Koleji and Çanakkale Ortaokulu and 10 students who were randomly picked from all participants received their prizes. The battery collection competition was open to all primary, secondary and high schools in the Turkish Cypriot community and it highlighted the need to dispose of used batteries in an environment friendly way. Students were encouraged to start collecting batteries during the summer holidays. With this Green Week initiative, the European Commission promoted reducing, reusing, and recycling for a greener future. 

The European Commission organised a Traffic Safety Campaign Workshop targeting youth. The workshop aimed to bring together young traffic ambassadors from high schools, universities and youth NGOs in order to collectively develop a campaign that will be publicized in the Turkish Cypriot community. The workshop was moderated by Tamer Altunay who has been involved in developing several traffic safety campaigns. The workshop, organised in partnership with Traffic Accidents Prevention Association and TRAKAYAD, took place on 27 February with the participation of 28 students from 10 schools, including high schools and universities. The aim of the workshop was not only to develop a traffic safety campaign but also to raise awareness on the importance of traffic safety and on the main causes of traffic crashes and how to prevent them by encouraging young people to reflect on traffic safety and to think about preventative measures and messages. A road map for a possible campaign with messages for the future was developed by youth.