Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
voiced as examples of well-educated profes-
sionals being attracted by higher remunerations
elsewhere. Reducing differentials between old
and new EU members may ameliorate this.
Early reports identified tourism labour markets
as the source and beneficiaries of short-term,
seasonal, but relatively highly-paid employment
(Woods, 2004a).
Cyprus was politically divided in 1974
when a coup backed by military rulers in Athens
designed to annex the island to Greece trig-
gered a Turkish military intervention. This
resulted in a long-term invasion and occupation
of 37% of Cyprus' territory - including some of
the most popular tourist areas - and expulsion
of 200,000 Greeks from that northern 'half'.
United Nations sanctions were subsequently
imposed against this Turkish 'occupation'. The
division has persisted (Kliot and Mansfeld,
1997), with the Republic of Cyprus government
representing the Greek Cypriot 'south', and the
Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, declared in
1983 but recognized only by Turkey, acting on
behalf of the 'north'.
The island's partition focused attention on
the role of tourism, which, in the 1970s and
1980s, took on a prime economic importance in
the south (see Gilmor, 1989; Kammas and
Salehiesfahani, 1992; Clements and Georgiou,
1998; Sharpley, 2001, 2003). With a UN eco-
nomic boycott of Turkish Cyprus, however, pre-
cluding direct access except from Turkey,
tourism in the north has been severely con-
strained, receiving only around 10% of the
island's total (Lockhart, 1994; Scott, 1995;
Warner, 1999; Alipour and Kilic, 2004).
Reasons for this are discussed in Chapter 18.
In July 1997 the European Commission in
Agenda 2000
, its communication to the Euro-
pean Parliament on the future development of
the Union, confirmed that accession negotia-
tions would begin, and reiterated the EU's
determination to play a positive role in bringing
about a settlement in Cyprus. Greece repeat-
edly indicated that Athens would block enlarge-
ment if Cyprus was excluded, arguing that the
admission of other countries into the EU could
not proceed if the reason for not admitting
Cyprus was the island's political problem. The
Greek position was that Cyprus could not be
allowed to become a 'hostage' of Turkey, and
that the EU must not accept a Turkish veto
on the admission of Cyprus. Further, until the
Helsinki Summit of December 1999, Greece
had vetoed any move towards inaugurating
enlargement discussions with Turkey.
As 1 May 2004 rapidly approached, and
brokered by a number of interested parties,
referenda were held in both parts of Cyprus on
the question of re-unification as a precursor
Evolving Europe
Smith (2000) argued that negotiation of EU
enlargement 'framework agreements' and
Balkan stability processes for a post-Cold War
European order exposed contradictions in the
EU's performance, and raised questions
about its capacity to shape the 'new Europe'.
None
the
less,
for
Dingsdale
(1999),
the
're-territorialization
of
Europe'
has
been
characterized by:
the consolidation of the European Union
project as the dominant idea of Europe;
●
EU territory conceived as the economic,
social, political and cultural core of the
continent; and
●
a peripheral status for post-socialist Europe
within it.
●
Arguably, these factors have been expressed in:
the terms defining which countries are fit to
join the EU;
●
the candidate countries' suppliant applica-
tions for membership;
●
their compliance with EU rules for assis-
tance; and
●
their acceptance of disadvantageous terms
of trade and the application of EU protocols.
●
Simplistic conceptions of an 'integrating'
west, a 'reforming' centre, and a 'struggling'
east within Europe ignore north-south dispari-
ties. For example, those in the eastern periphery
of the continent expose a relatively stable and
cooperative north-east - Poland and the Baltic
states, gaining EU membership in 2004, con-
trasting with a fractious and still unstable
south-east - Bulgaria and Romania being con-
sidered unready for 2004, the Balkan countries
not being in the frame, while the Cyprus situa-
tion almost derailed the whole enlargement
project.
