Jazz Workshop and Jam Session 2018 took place in Nicosia

The European Commission, as part of the European Music Nights, supported a Jazz Workshop and Jam Session in collaboration with Jazz Education Abroad on 6 July in Nicosia. The workshop brought together all age groups and participants at all levels and all musical instruments at Ledra Art Music and Fine Arts Studio. After the opening speech by Ms. Kezban Akansoy, participants took part in parallel workshops for different instruments with jazz masters Dr. Gene Aitken (Music Education & Director), Paolo Orlandi (Drums), Cahit Kutrafalı & Damian Erskine (Bass), Mike Dana (Guitar), Jeremy Siskind (Piano), Rob Thomas (Violin), Dave Glenn (Trombone), Dr. J Kyle Gregory (Trumpet), Mariano Abello (Saxophone), Jimmy Lee (Flute and Clarinet), and Julie Rey Dana (Vocals). After the workshop, a jam session was held between 20:30 and 22:00, where the jazz masters and workshop participants gave a jazz concert. The jazz jam session brought together more than 50 jazz lovers at the HASDER garden, Nicosia.

Conference on Cluster Corporate Governance and Networking

The European Commission supported a conference on corporate governance and networking for clusters on 13 July at the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce  with the participation of relevant local stakeholders and experts. The conference, organised by the EU-funded Technical Assistance for Private Sector Development (TAPS) project and the EU Infopoint, aimed to create awareness about the benefits of strengthening cluster initiatives and to discuss ways to embrace corporate governance principles as a means to encourage professionalism and competitiveness amongst the clusters in the Turkish Cypriot community. The opening speeches were made by Mr.Michael Docherty, Ms. Aysun Önet İleri and Ms. Ebru Kaptan Sertoğlu.

During the conference, Mr. Vedat Kunt presented the EU perspective on clustering, cluster networking and cluster corporate governance. He indicated that the EU is at the forefront of important clusters in the world. The European Commission plays an important role in the preparation and implementation of clustering policies, and the EU considers clustering in the development of SMEs as one of the most important tools.  Mr. Hürrem Tulga from the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Shopkeepers and Artisans, Ms. Niyal Öztürk from the EU-funded TAPS project and Mr. Donald Aquilina from the EU-funded Farm Advisory Services Project provided information on cluster development and discussed its importance for economic and rural development in the Turkish Cypriot community.  The event continued with an interactive discussion on recommendations for a way forward.

The European Union’s new Smart Guide to Cluster Policy is a practical guide targeting regional authorities and stakeholders interested in "how to make better use of clusters for promoting regional industrial modernisation, supporting the growth of SMEs and encouraging smart specialisation". It explains what cluster and cluster policies are and what they are not, what makes them successful and why they matter. It presents eight Do's and Don'ts and showcases four Smart Cluster Stories, several cluster programme examples and practical instruments implemented by regions as part of modern cluster policies.

The European Commission is supporting a new awareness raising campaign about the importance of reducing, reusing and recycling with a focus on plastic waste and in line with the new European Commission Plastic Strategy. The campaign aims to encourage individuals to reduce their single use plastics consumption and will be promoted locally on radio, billboards, social media and the press. A “Reducing Construction and Plastic Waste” Panel took place on 27 July at the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce in Nicosia.

After the opening speeches by Mr. Ierotheos Papadopoulos, the Head of the European Commission in Cyprus, Mr. Jaromir Manhart presented the EU policy on plastic and construction waste and the best examples from EU Member States. In his presentation, Manhart indicated the EU's waste hierarchy and priority order in waste prevention, management legislation and policy. After his presentation, Ms. Ayşe Akanser discussed the local implementations on waste reduction, reusing and recycling. In her presentation, Akanser provided detailed information about the regulations on various types of wastes. The panel discussion continued with Mr. Andy Whiteman's presentation on the integrated waste management plan for the Turkish Cypriot community and extended producer responsibility. In his presentation, Whiteman gave detailed information about the delegate arrangement to which producers are entrusted with responsibility for organizing and financing the recycling and management system for post-consumer goods. The panel ended with a fruitful Q&A session.