EU Chair Cyprus Finance Minister Shiarlis to EuroFora: Real EU Economic-Monetary(Political) Union+FP

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- The EU Chairman-in-office, responsible for Financial and Economic issues, Cyprus' Economy and Finances Minister Vassos Shiarlis, an Experienced long-time Expert and Politician in that area, replying to "EuroFora"s questions, "Welcomed" and expressed a solid "Support" to the latest EU Brussels' Summit's decision to launch a process for building a much closer, "Real" Economic and Monetary Union's governance, (i.e. practically advancing towards a Political Union in Europe).

But, meanwhile, during the July -  December 2012 period of the incoming Cyprus' EU rotating Presidency, EU will also have the important and relevant task to prepare final Decisions on EU's MultiAnnual Financial Perspectives 2012-2020 (See also earlier "EuroFora"s NewsReport on that specific matter :   ), as well as to immediately start implementing Decisions taken at the latest EU Summit in Brussels with the preparation of a "Supervising Mechanism" for Banks, as well as other important, concrete details f.ex. on how exactly will operate EU's Rescue Funds, beginning from ECOFIN's fist meetings on July (See Infra), he also pointed out.
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 - "Do you think that there is a good chance to really advance towards a much closer Economic and Monetary Union (i.e. a step towards Political Union), during the Cyprus' EU Presidency ?" (July - December 2012), "perhaps during the forthcoming October and/or December EU Summits ?", "EuroFora" asked Shiarlis, at the beginning of the incoming Cyprus' EU Presidency's term of July - December 2012.

 - "This is an issue which came out as a result of Last Week's EU Council meeting" in Brussels, he observed from the outset, referring to the June 28 - 29 EU Heads of State/Government gathering.

- "Therefore, I think that it's a ittle bit Premature to go into any Details" now, he carefuly said, for the moment.

- But, "I think that this is an issue which wil be Discussed during the Next couple of Weeks or Months, (also) at ECOFIN level, and we'll see how to proceed", the incoming EU Chairman-in-office on Economic and Financial affairs, anounced.

- "However, the General Idea is one that we (Cyprus' EU Presidency for July - December 2012) Support", he positively stressed in conclusion, replying to "EuroFora"s Question.
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- Significantly, when he was asked by some MEPs, earlier this evening at EU Parliament in Strasbourg, about the "EuroBonds" controversy, Minister Shiarlis, while acknowledging that EuroBonds may correspond to "an increased Economic Integration", particularly concerning "the benefiting Countries", whose Banks it "could help", nevertheless, he also stressed clearly that such an hypothesis might only occur at the Future "Under strict Conditions, with a serious Budget Discipline, and inside a much Stronger Fiscal Union", which is "an Essential Condition" in order "to avoid Hasards", as he Warned, apparently pointing at a Medium/Long term process to develop step by step towards a Political Union, sooner or later, according to choices to be made by EU Leaders who fix the pace.

+ Meanwhile, the immediately forthcoming ECOFIN meetings "on July" (10 and 11) will start "to implement the Decisions" ordered by the latest EU Summit, in view also of the parallel preparation for the "creation of the Supervising Mechanism" for any Banks in the EU might in future ask for Direct Help from the EU Funds/ECB, while the permanent "EU President Van Rompuy will draft an Interim Report on a closer, "Real" Economic and Monetary Union (that "We Welcome", as he stressed) for (the forthcoming) October" 2012 EU Brussels' Summit, Shiarly noted earlier at EU Parliament's Economic and Monetary Committee in Strasbourg.
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At the same time, in Parallel, the incoming Cyprus' EU Presidendy will also have to help broker an Agreement on EU's MultiAnnual Framework for the 2013-2020 Financial Perspectives, which are another, usually very "Important" issue, "EuroFora" observed, asking Minister Shiarlis how he believes that this Delicate matter could be tackled by EU Council :

- "Yes, I know" that' it's "important", EU's Chairman-in-office for Financial/Monetary issues started to reply to "EuroFora"s question.

  - "We (the incoming Cyprus' EU rotating Presidency for the semester of July - December 2012) have been Working on this. We have Teams appointed to look at this, and to counsel us, so that we can work it out", he noted.

 => - But "the Success will depend on whether you are Prepared to Listen, and to Compromise, to Convince others that it's in the Best Interest of Everybody concerned, and not just for one or another" only, as Minister Shiarlis stressed in conclusion.           

In fact, given the well known also Political aspects of the MultiAnnual Financial Perspectives, the issue has been mainly reserved in order to be dealt personally by the experienced Cyprus' EU Affairs Minister, former Ambassador to the EU in Brussels and to UNO at New York, etc., Mavrogianis, (who is due to work in cooperation with Cyprus' Finance Minister Shiarlis, at least as far as it concerns the ECOFIN aspects), and who arrives officially tomorrow at EU Parliament in Strasbourg, together witgh Cyprus' President Demitris Christofias, in view of the Wednesday's Plenary Debate on the July - December 2012 crucial period's prospects.
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