THE Department of Lands and Surveys must avoid the registration of immovable property from the name of a deceased to a person claiming ownership of same, except if a duly notarised written consent of the heirs is filed with the department. The determination of land ownership rights is within the jurisdiction of the court and not within the powers of the Director of the Department of Lands and Surveys. Such actions end up in court, especially when one relative, without providing the duly notarised written consents of the heirs alleges that a piece of land was given to him/her gratuitously by the deceased, or that he/she has ownership rights over the land through hostile possession or through succession.

Information contained in certificates issued by Community Councils or Mukhtars regarding ownership of land by deceased persons or its possession, for the purpose of being presented before the Department of Lands and Surveys, has to be personally known to the Mukhtar or the person authorised by the Community Council to issue the certificate. If the information contained in the certificate are not personally known to him but instead they are based on information and statements obtained by third parties, the Mukhtar has to mention this in the said certificate naming the persons who provided him with the relevant information.

The aforesaid was raised by the President of Larnaca court in a recent judgment after heirs demanded the annulment of a transfer of land in the name of other heirs of a deceased person through fraud, misrepresentation or illegal and irregular procedures. The facts of the case regarded the actions of an heir who secured the consent of his siblings to register the estate of their deceased parents in his name and then to transfer to each one of them his/her share in the estate. When the heir passed away, his wife made use of certificates issued by a Community Council and registered the land firstly in her name in her capacity as the heir of her deceased husband and then to their children. The remaining heirs brought an action before the court and requested the annulment of the said transfers. The court decided in favour of the heirs, holding that the notarisation of the signatures of the affected persons in the said consents was void since they didn’t sign the consents in the presence of the mukhtar.

As to the officer of the Land Registry, he was held to have acted act ultra vires or in violation of the law or incorrectly under the circumstances and his actions should be annulled, since he allowed the use of a power of attorney with which no power was given to her appointed representative (the dead man) to register in his name property belonging to his sister. Regarding the transfers of land in the name of his children, the court found severe failures on behalf of the Director of the Lands and Surveys since the procedure which was followed and his decision to register the land in the name of his wife, essentially determined the ownership of the land, determining at the same time the ownership rights over it.

The Director neither had the right to proceed with the registration of the land in the name of the deceased heir’s wife by means of inheritance and succession nor could he allow the previous transfers of land in the name of the deceased. Nevertheless, without checking the material irregularities and illegalities, he proceeded with the determination of ownership rights over the land.

Simultaneously, the court dismissed the allegation of the children of the deceased heir that they acquired rights over the land through hostile possession, since it contradicted their allegation that the ownership of the land was acquired with the consent of the other heirs. Hence, the court ordered the registration of the land in the name of the deceased parents.

Courtesy of:

 George Coucounis is a lawyer specialising in the Immovable Property Law, based in Larnaca, Tel: 24 818288,  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , www.coucounislaw.com

Britain could slash corporation tax to 10 percent if the European Union refuses to agree a post-Brexit free trade deal or blocks UK-based banks from accessing its market, the Sunday Times reported, citing an unidentified source.

The newspaper said the idea of halving the headline rate from 20 percent had been put forward by Prime Minister Theresa May’s advisers amid growing fears other EU member states will take a hard line in Brexit negotiations.

The tax cut would be used to try and persuade the EU to grant “passporting” rights for financial services firms to continue operating across the EU, the newspaper said, in a sign of the likely animosity of the upcoming divorce talks.

At a Brussels summit last week EU leaders were clear they would not allow Britain to “cherry pick” things such as free access to the market for certain sectors without taking on the full responsibilities of EU membership.

“People say we have not got any cards,” the newspaper quoted an unidentified source familiar with the British government’s thinking as saying.

“We have some quite good cards we can play if they start getting difficult with us. If they’re saying no passporting and high trade tariffs we can cut corporation tax to 10 percent,” the newspaper quoted an anonymous source as saying,” the source was quoted as saying.

Cutting corporation tax could attract companies away from the EU to Britain, boosting its economy and challenging Ireland’s preeminence as Europe’s low tax home for large international companies.

EU leaders have warned that if Britain places limits on the free movement people it will lose its preferential access to the single market, leaving London-based international banks worried they could lose their right to sell services across Europe.

Writing in the Observer newspaper, the chief executive of the British Bankers’ Association said the uncertainty over Britain’s future relationship with the EU meant most international banks were already looking at which operations they would need to move out of the UK.

“Their hands are quivering over the relocate button. Many smaller banks plan to start relocations before Christmas; bigger banks are expected to start in the first quarter of next year,” Anthony Browne wrote.

Japanese carmaker Nissan, whose Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn met May this month to discuss his concerns over Brexit, on Sunday denied a story in the Telegraph newspaper that it had decided to make its new Qashqai model in Britain.

Nissan’s CEO has warned he could scrap potential new investment in Britain’s biggest car plant unless the government pledges compensation for any increased tax costs resulting from Brexit.

“No decision has yet been taken. That decision making process concludes next month,” a spokesman at Nissan told Reuters.

Bank of Cyprus has filed an appeal against the ruling of the Larnaca district court, which banned it from applying the modernised foreclosure law in disposing a collateral for which a court ruling existed based on the previous legislation.

The Cyprus Business Mail understands that the appeal was filed on Thursday. Bank of Cyprus declined to comment.

In its September 12 ruling concerning a 2007 mortgage deal, the court ruled that Bank of Cyprus had to proceed to the foreclosure of the property based on a 2006 court order and had therefore no right to send a “type I” note to the owner. The ruling caused perplexity in Cyprus’s banking system.

The Association of Cyprus Banks said in a statement “it has reservations about the ruling” concerning its legal drafting and therefore intended to study the underlying legislation in-depth.

The modernisation of the foreclosure law was part of Cyprus’s bailout terms, aiming at helping speed up foreclosure procedures, which under the old law took ten years or longer, thus helping reduce the non-performing loan portfolio of Cypriot banks.

By Stelios Orphanides

In an interview to Inbusiness.com, finance minister Harris Georgiades said that he was not in favour of changing the law as it would cause uncertainty. Still, government agencies monitor the situation waiting for banks to evaluate the ruling to determine which old cases are affected, he said

Cyprus’s government decided to buy back up to €258.5m of outstanding domestic government securities maturing between April 20, 2020 and July 1, 2021, the finance ministry said.

“The Public Debt Management Office announces that it accepts bids from security holders for a complete or partial buyback by the government,” the PDMO, a division of the finance ministry, said in an emailed statement on Tuesday.

The offer applies to the bonds with the serial number CY0049570811, CY0049630813, CY0143830814 and CY0143790810, the PDMO said. All securities, which carry an annual interest rate ranging from 4.75 per cent to 6.1 per cent are traded at the Cyprus Stock Exchange. Two of the bonds were issued in 2005 while the rest in 2013.

The deadline for applications is September 6, while the buybacks will become effective three days later, the PDMO said. The government is facing debt maturities totalling almost €4bn in 2019 and 2020, which account for almost one quarter of the economy.

The Cyprus Business Mail understands that the government is currently focusing on buying back domestically traded bonds because of the simpler procedures compared to buying back internationally traded bonds and the higher interest rates domestic bonds carry.

On Wednesday, roughly a month after the government issued a €1bn 7-year bond, the PDMO said that it decided to deposit €430m at Cypriot banks after receiving bids..

By Stelios Orphanides

THE Arbitral Tribunal of the International Chamber of Commerce may have ruled to allow the conditional access of FBME Bank’s owners to the lender’s premises, but it denied their request for the immediate cessation of all actions toward its liquidation, the Central Bank of Cyprus said in a statement on Friday.

It was responding to a statement by FBME on Tuesday, which claimed that the ICC had ordered that the embattled bank’s two shareholders be granted unfettered access to the premises, from which they had been excluded on March 31.

FBME was placed in administration in July 2014 by the CBC, after the Financial Crime Enforcement Network (FinCEN), a division of the US Treasury, designated the Tanzania-based bank as “of primary money-laundering concern” with links to Hezbollah.

Last December, the CBC revoked its banking licence, and ordered its liquidation.

FBME’s owners resorted to the ICC for arbitration in the second half of 2014, demanding compensation from the Republic of Cyprus under the terms of a 2003 international agreement between Cyprus and Lebanon that protects investor rights in each other’s country.

“On April 25, Messrs Farid and Fadi Saab filed for an injunction with the Paris Arbitral Tribunal, in order to order that the CBC: (a) immediately ceases all action for the liquidation of the Cyprus branch until a final ruling has been issued by the Cypriot courts, and (b) allows the shareholders full access to the offices, archives, and personnel of FBME’s branch,” the central bank’s statement said.

“In its May 27 and July 26 rulings, the Arbitral Tribunal fully denied the request for an order to cease all action by the CBC with regard to the branch’s liquidation.”

With regard to the issue of access to the offices, archives and personnel of the branch, the tribunal “ruled only that Messrs Farid and Fadi Saab be allowed access to the branch’s office in the presence of their lawyer, and on condition of practical arrangements made between the lawyers of both sides”.

“To date, no agreement on such practical arrangements has been reached,” the oversight authority said.

“It is noted that the court came to the aforementioned decision after judging that the presence of these individuals at the offices of the FBME branch could impact the smooth operation of the branch, which is under the administration of the Special Administrator appointed by the CBC.”

Therefore, the central bank added, the Arbitral Tribunal’s ruling “in no way overrules the Special Administrator’s decision to end the employment of Messrs Farid and Fadi Saab, nor does it allow them any rights of management or interference in the operation of the branch”.

The Cyprus Mail asked an FBME spokesman for a copy of the ruling in question, but was told that the ICC does not release them.

A source from the Special Administrator’s office, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the matter at hand is not really whether the owners are allowed physical entry to the building or not, but rather whether the right to such access would be unfettered and permanent.

“I’m sure the administrator is open to agreeing to let them into the premises if they want to retrieve something,” the Mail was told.

“But what he won’t allow is them being there all the time, terrorising the employees.”

Courtesy by ANGELOS ANASTASIOU

How quickly the unthinkable became the irreversible

The United Kingdom European Union membership referendum took place on 23rd of June 2016 and Pandora’s Box has been opened. The sterling posted its worst week in more than seven years as anxiety that the UK will leave the EU pushed the currency to its lowest level since 2009. The consequences of this historical decision are numerous and momentous. Voters ignored the warnings of economists, allies and their own government and, after more than four decades in the EU, are about to step boldly into the unknown. However, as Green mentioned “a vote for Brexit will not be determinative of whether the UK will leave the EU”, since the referendum result is not binding for the Parliament.

Implications for Cyprus
Cyprus is one of the countries that the UK has strong bilateral relations, reflecting the historical ties between the two countries. Brexit has dimensions that raise many concerns for Cyprus, especially given the fact that Cyprus is still recovering from the crisis. The depreciation of the British pound will certainly have an impact on tourist arrivals as well as trade between the two counties. Additionally, the purchasing power of British foreigners that live in Cyprus has been significantly reduced. The effect on tourism for 2016 will likely go unnoticed, especially given the strong numbers achieved this year. However, should the British pound weakness persist and given that arrivals from the UK comprised 39% of total arrivals last year, the impact on the economy can be significant.

Tourism
The tourism sector in Cyprus plays a significant role in the economy. According to WTTC, the direct contribution of Travel & Tourism to GDP in 2015 was approximately 7.6% of GDP. This is forecast to rise by 4.3% in 2016. Meanwhile, British citizens keep a leading position in the number of arrivals for holidays. Most visitors (1.041 mn.) in Cyprus in 2015 were from the United Kingdom. Following the announcement of the referendum result and subsequent depreciation of the British pound, it is much more expensive for British people to travel to Cyprus and any other EU countries. In addition, possible changes to the current free movement of people between the two countries might cause a negative effect on tourist arrivals/departures from/to the UK.

Trade Sector
The UK and Cyprus have close economic relationship. UK is one of the main partners of Cyprus, together with Greece, Israel, Germany and France. Exports of Cyprus to the UK comprise 10% of the total exports of the country and trade in services between countries equals to 20%. UK’s decision to leave EU will certainly affect Cyprus’ exports both in the long and short term. “Brexit could pose unpredictability in the trade sector and negative consequences on trade agreements”, Cyprus High Commissioner to the UK, Euripides Evriviades, had said before the referendum

Interpersonal relations

It is estimated that around 270,000 Cypriots currently live in the UK and approximately 12,000 Cypriot students are currently enrolled in British universities. At the same time, there are between 60,000 and 70,000 British people living in Cyprus. Restrictions on the free movement of EU citizens from and to the UK may arise, depending on the UK’s exit negotiations. Implications will be greater for people who plan to permanently stay and work in the UK. Cypriot students in the UK will be called to pay the increased tuition fees to their colleges/ universities, with a direct impact on their households.

Cyprus Problem

In addition to the above, while the Cyprus problem still remains and is currently under negotiation, the UK and the EU seem powerless, fearful and concentrated more on the Brexit issue and Britain is looking for a new leader since the prime minister resigned and the country is divided by the referendum.

With an eye to the future

The UK has not invoked Article 50 of the Lisbon treaty, i.e. the formal announcement of its intention to leave the EU. The Brexit will be in process and will not conclude earlier than 2019 according to the Lisbon treaty.

While the UK wishes to maintain free trade and free movement deals with Europe, it is unlikely that the EU will offer easy access to the free market. EU is set on making an example out of the UK, partly to deter other countries from considering an exit. As such, the UK will face difficulties maintaining its current trading status with the EU.

Published in  Delfi Partners

With at least three new marinas supposedly on their way, a host of questions has been raised over the economic value and environmental impact of these massive projects, including whether they will happily coexist or ruthlessly compete against each other.

Tourism experts question whether marinas are the best way of boosting tourism, while environmentalists are concerned about the impact such large constructions have on both land and sea.

One way of finding out is to look at what is already happening. The Limassol marina has been running for two years now, and buildings around the project are still going up.

Promoted as a destination for living, yachting, dining and shopping, it’s not simply a specially designed harbor with moorings for pleasure yachts and boats, but a complex project with many stakeholders.

Limassol marina gets 3,000 to 5,000 daily visitors at weekends

The Limassol company running the harbour has attracted buyers for many of their properties, has 14 food and beverage outlets and 40 shops and boutiques and 650 berths. It has sold properties to people from more than 18 countries, and the 750 parking spaces of the marina are rarely empty, as 2,000 to 3,000 people visit on a daily basis, and even more – 3,000 to 5,000 – at weekends.

Other tourist towns are desperate to tap into that sort of traffic. The Paphos marina, recently approved by a supreme court decision after a legal battle which lasted for 10 years, will reportedly include more than 42,000 square metres in housing and commercial development.

In Ayia Napa, a €220 million project backed by Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris and the Caramondani Group, complete with shops and housing, is scheduled to be finished by 2018. A marina is also planned for nearby Paralimni. In Larnaca, long-delayed plans to transform its existing marina will go back to tender in September.

Architect’s drawing of Ayia Napa marina

But if the Limassol marina is a success, it does not necessarily follow that Cyprus needs the same type of development in Ayia Napa,Paralimni, Larnaca and Paphos. Aren’t the 211 apartments and 74 villas which are part of the Limassol project sufficient, given the fact that the prices for apartments start at €920,000 and the villas at €1.5 million?

Ayia Napa mayor Yiannis Karousos is full of optimism that the town’s marina will be a great success.

“It will help marine tourism and bring high spenders and investors,” he told the Sunday Mail. “The marinas are not competitive, they complement each other.” Karousos envisions boat owners travelling around the island, taking turns, stopping in Paralimni, Ayia Napa, Larnaca, Limassol and Paphos. Plus, he says, it will be great for the economy.

“It will make more than one million euros for the Ayia Napa municipality. A study shows that it will contribute one billion for the Cyprus economy, as it will employ 850 people and there will be income in the form of VAT. It will also help seasonality because people not only use yachts in the summer”

During winter weekends, Karousos expects Nicosians to travel to Ayia Napa for the purpose of visiting the marina. “The investors have studied all the possibilities,” he said.

His counterpart in Larnaca is equally optimistic over new plans to transform the existing marina in Larnaca with a Limassol-style project.

“We need more space for yachts. It has been decided to use the space of the marina and the port for touristic use combined with commercial use, but they will be no industrial use. We are in touch with investors abroad,” said acting mayor Petros Christodoulou.

Plans for Larnaca marina have been plagued by years of delays and failure to find investors. The government struck a deal with Zenon Consortium back in 2010 for a €700 million project to transform both the existing port and marina.

The doomed Zenon marina plan for Larnaca

The project incorporated development of a land area totalling 200,000 square metres, including the building of five star hotels, leisure and retail development. The consortium failed to raise the necessary funds even though the government extended the deadline up to 20 times. The project will now be put back to tender.

“The consultants are preparing a feasibility study which they will present to the ministry of commerce at the end of September,” said Christodoulou.

But many question the intrinsic value of marinas for Cyprus.

“The purpose is not the actual marina. The idea is to combine this with real estate to sell them to rich people to recover the money immediately,” explained the manager of the current Larnaca marina, Christos Petrides. “In my view, this is not going to be very successful. This is not Monte Carlo where you might need three or four marinas.”

Larnaca marina now. Some experts say the marina only really needs to offer more berths

“There are all these fast food outlets,” said Anna Farmaki, lecturer in tourism management at the Cyprus University of Technology (TEPAK), referring to many of the restaurants at the Limassol marina. “If you were a rich Russian coming in your big yacht, would like to eat there? Also, these Russians live in Cyprus. So this doesn’t do anything to help the problem of seasonality that we have.

“Everything in Cyprus is being copied. Why should this bring tourists? There are marinas in other countries and people don’t travel there to see the marinas. You might go there for lunch or a stroll if you happen to be there, but that’s it.”

Farmaki and others say the money and the space should be used in different ways if Cyprus wants to attract tourists.

“Based on the size of the country it is not sustainable to have the same product in all regions, using vast amounts of resources,” tourism lecturer Elena Spanou commented. “Tourists want to see something different in each region. For example, there should be one area concentrated on sports, or a conference centre or golf. What’s the point in spending all the money on one product? It’s ridiculous. Who will go there?”

The tourism experts are concerned that there is no Cypriot authenticity due to the fast food outlets. Instead, they argue, there should be fish taverns and in general a more ‘Cypriot’ atmosphere. As it is, the shops are also mainly occupied by international companies.

What do the people who operate the fast food outlets in the Limassol marina think? Nicos Kaloudis is the manager of business development at PHC, which has eight outlets in the Limassol marina, including KFC and Pizza Hut. When asked if the company would consider renting spaces in other marinas, he said that it depends on how valid they are going to be.

“Limassol is a successful venture. It is the main tourism city and the marina was much awaited,” he added. “Paphos is equally interesting as it is going to be the cultural capital in 2017, but as for Ayia Napa and Paralimni we will have to see. It’s too early to see how significant they will be.”

There is also the environmental impact. General comments by mayors that ‘consultants’ have carried out environmental impact assessments have failed to reassure environmentalists.

“The new marinas that exist and are planned are used as Trojan horses to create new houses and apartments around them,” said Kostas Andreou from the department of environmental science and technology at TEPAK. “The houses and apartments in turn block the public view and create a big aesthetic impact. They destroy the character of the area. During the construction the main problem is the use of the material – the transfer of huge amounts of rocks for which new quarries need to open.”

Other concerns are the oil spills and the sewage from the ships which the marinas attract.

There are also consequences under water. Sediments are removed where there is a need to create more space for the ships to dock and this has a biological impact.

The impact is not just felt in the immediate vicinity of the marina.

“The problem is that they are building the houses and apartments on the water, they create artificial islands which means they need so much more building material which comes from the mountains,” said Green Party MP Charalambos Theopemptou.

“At the time, the government gave the right to the developers of golf courses to develop them with properties so the marina construction companies demanded the same and the government gave in.”

Theopemptou, who is a former environment commissioner, said the environmental studies carried out are of questionable value.

“The environmental study is given to a private company of the developer’s choice. If they don’t like the results, they can fire the company and give the job to someone else,” he said. “In the UK, there is a list of government approved companies and if they don’t do a good job they are removed.”

Expert in aquatic tourism Glafkos Kariolou agrees that economically it makes sense to provide more berths for boats. In fact, Cyprus desperately needs more of them. What it does not need, he argues, are the luxury properties alongside the marinas.

“In the Mediterranean, the need for berths be far outstrips the existing facilities,” he explained. “Cyprus as an island unfortunately depends on tourism and needs exports so we need marinas.”

This has to be carefully investigated. “The first item in the mind of any developer has to be the environment,” he said. “Marinas should not be built in pristine areas. They should be in places which are already developed.”

The developer should also keep a balance in mind when it comes to the use of materials. “There is not a single natural harbour in Cyprus, there are no coves at all, so the use of material like rocks is a must.”

He said it was not necessary to create artificial islands on which villas and apartments are built as has been done in Limassol. Any buildings can be constructed on land. The space in the area which has been created should have been used for more berths, he suggests, at least 1,000.

“Because this area was already destroyed, and we need more berths. As it is, it is no use to the locals and middle classes, as it is too expensive to pay for a berth there,” he said.

It’s up to the government to control the environmental and economic aspects of such a project, but it is not in control of the private sector in Cyprus, plus there are no public marinas which would be easier to govern, he added.

Amazingly, the Cyprus Tourism Organisation is not involved and there is no central body with any strategic plan regarding aquatic tourism.

The marinas which have been planned, he argues, are like five, six or seven star hotels, but unlike hotels on land they are difficult to control. There is the question of how to control noise pollution like radios on board, and on board toilets and waste, as nobody wants to bring their boat to a polluted place.

The berthing issue could be solved by providing more yachting harbours with services, such as currently exists in Larnaca, and yachting shelters like the existing one in Zygi and Ayia Napa which are just for parking the vessels.

And what about the villas, apartments and the fast food outlets such as exist in Limassol? “They needed the money quickly, there was no other way,” Kariolou said. “And only the big companies with the fast food outlets can pay the rents there.”

Courtesy of Annette Chrysostomou (Cyprus Mail)

http://cyprus-mail.com/2016/07/03/many-marinas-need/ 

Greek and Turkish Cypriot political parties on Wednesday pledged to work together in reforesting all the areas affected by a huge fire in the Solea region of the Troodos mountain.

The parties expressed their concern over the fires and solidarity for the inhabitants of the area.

They also expressed their deep sorrow for the loss of two lives.

The parties urged all Cypriots to actively participate and support all efforts to protect “our common environment and forests.”

They pledged to work together in reforesting all affected areas in Cyprus.

The leaders and the representatives of Cypriot political parties met on Wednesday for their regular meeting at Ledra Palace, under the auspices of the Slovak Embassy.

The parties, according to a joint statement, have agreed that “reunification through a wisely structured federal solution will guarantee a long and steady development for all Cypriots in our country and should be a lasting solution.”

The next regular meeting of the leaders and the representatives of the political parties will be held on Wednesday, September 28, 2016 at the Ledra Palace.

European Parliament President Martin Schulz has accused Turkey of not keeping it promise to reform anti-terrorist laws and warned that Europe could harden its stance on visa-free travel for Turkish citizens.

In an interview with German newspaper ‘Die Welt’, Schulz said he expected to see Turkey move forward with the deal to usher in reforms on the anti-terrorist law and on the protection of personal data.

Brussels has promised Turks visa-free travel into Europe in return for stopping the flow of illegal migrants to the bloc, after more than a million entered the EU from Turkey last year. While Europe is desperate for the deal to work, it also insists Ankara meet 72 criteria, including narrowing the scope of its broad anti-terrorism laws to meet European standards.

But Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has been resistant.

“The talks should begin immediately in the Turkish parliament,” Schulz was quoted as saying. “If not, then the European institutions will not be able to fulfill the roadmap by October,” he added, referring to the deal on visa-free travel.

He also referred to threats by Erdogan to ditch the deal with the EU, saying if this transpired, it would only make Europe more determined in demanding that all of the criteria set for Ankara be met.

“Threats are not the appropriate tool in politics,” said Schulz. “They will not impress the Europeans. It will be the opposite. We will remain steadfast that one hundred per cent of the 72 conditions be met.”

Only when Ankara amends its anti-terrorism legislation would the European Parliament forward the draft legislation from the European Commission to the relevant committee, he added.

Rights groups and some European officials say Turkey uses the anti-terror laws to stifle dissent, prosecuting academics and journalists for expressing peaceful opinions, while Erdogan says Turkey needs its legislation to fight Kurdish insurgents and Islamic State.

The European Commission’s vice-president Frans Timmermans said on Friday on Twitter after talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and EU Affairs Minister Omer Celik that they shared a “joint determination to overcome last remaining obstacles to visa liberalisation”.

The disagreement has threatened the future of the migrant deal and put pressure on Ankara’s relationship with the bloc. Erdogan, who spearheaded Turkey’s drive for EU candidacy, has threatened it could go its own way if Europe failed to agree.

Turkish foreign ministry officials confirmed that officials from Ankara would meet with their European counterparts next week to determine a roadmap on visa liberalisation.

Wrangling over the anti-terrorism law has cast doubt on whether the end-June target date for the visa deal can still be met. Officials and diplomats told Reuters the deadline looked likely to be missed, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel said after talks with Erdogan that it may take longer but she was confident both sides would stick to the migrant pact.

Other sticking points remain, including over a data protection law and the creation of an independent data protection authority.

Keeping the migration accord on track is a key priority for several EU member states, especially the bloc’s biggest power, Germany, which took in most of the 1.3 million refugees and migrants who reached Europe last year.

Courtesy of Cyprus Mail

German politicians accused Chancellor Angela Merkel at the weekend of making Europe overly dependent on Turkey in the migrant crisis, leaving the bloc vulnerable to blackmail by President Tayyip Erdogan.

Turkey, refusing to bow to European Union demands to rein in its broad anti-terror laws, said on Friday talks on a deal to provide visa-free travel in return for stopping illegal migrants reaching the EU had reached an impasse and the bloc must find a “new formula” to salvage the agreement.

Merkel, whose popularity has suffered due to her liberal migrant policy that saw Germany take in more than one million migrants last year, had spearheaded EU efforts to secure the deal, signed in March.

While the numbers of migrants have dropped sharply this year, Merkel continues to attract criticism from her conservative allies in Bavaria as well as the anti-immigrant Alternative for Germany (AfD).

“I’m not against talks with Turkey but I think it’s dangerous to become so dependent on Ankara,” said Horst Seehofer, leader of the Christian Social Union (CSU), the Bavarian sister party to Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU).

Seehofer told Welt am Sonntag (WamS) that the deal with Turkey had helped boost support for AfD, which is currently polling at up to 15 percent.

Sahra Wagenknecht of the opposition far-left Linke party told the same newspaper Merkel had essentially negotiated the deal without involving her European partners.

“The chancellor is therefore responsible for Europe having become vulnerable to being blackmailed by the authoritarian Turkish regime and for Erdogan feeling noticeably strengthened to crush human rights underfoot,” she said.

Cem Oezdemir, co-leader of the Greens party and the son of Turkish immigrants, also told WamS the deal had put Europe at risk of being blackmailed and said Merkel was largely to blame.

While the EU is desperate for the deal to succeed, it also insists that Turkey meet 72 criteria, including anti-terror laws which it says Turkey uses to stifle dissent. Ankara says it needs sweeping legislation to fight Kurdish insurgents and Islamic State.

Merkel is due to attend the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul on May 23 and there are plans for bilateral talks with other leaders in attendance, her spokesman said on Friday.

Members of the Social Democrats (SPD), Merkel’s junior coalition partner, also expressed concern.

Carsten Schneider told WamS Merkel had made Erdogan the key to her refugee policy and if he stopped cooperating, “the extent of Germany’s isolation in Europe will become clear again”, while Thorsten Schaefer-Guembel said Merkel should not “kowtow” to Erdogan.

But SPD Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier told Tagesspiegel newspaper Turkey was still the key country for migration to Europe, adding: “We need to cooperate to some extent if we want to avoid the circumstances we had last year.”

Merkel has drawn heavy criticism for allowing German prosecutors to pursue a case against a German comedian at the Turkish leader’s behest. The comic had recited a sexually crude poem about Erdogan.

By Michelle Martin