The European Parliament adopted by 620 votes to 4, with 17 abstentions, a resolution on missing persons in Cyprus − as a follow-up to the European Parliament resolution of 15 March 2007 (see RSP/2007/2533 ).

The own-initiative report had been tabled for consideration in plenary by Ewa KLAMT (EPP-ED, DE) on behalf of the Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.

The parliamentary committee calls on the parties concerned to continue their cooperation so that the fate of all missing persons in Cyprus is established rapidly, and to give full effect to the ECHR judgment of 10 May 2001 concerning missing persons in Cyprus. All those who have, or are in a position to have, any information or evidence emanating from personal knowledge, archives, battlefield reports or records of detention sites, are called to pass that information or evidence on to the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) to help expedite its work.

MEPs support the allocation of further financial support to the CMP for the years 2009 onwards and consider it essential to provide for an additional amount of EUR 2 million in the general budget of the European Union for the financial year 2009. They call on the Council and the Commission to agree on this further financial assistance, and they call on the Member States to continue the support they have given so far.

Lastly, the report requests that the Parliament authorises its Committee on Civil Liberties to continue to follow-up the issue of missing persons in Cyprus and to submit annual reports. The rapporteur and the parliamentary committee should also be authorised to take all possible steps to convince all parties concerned to contribute to the endeavours in the investigation into the fate of each and every missing person.

The Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs adopted an own initiative report by Ewa KLAMT (EPP-ED, DE) on missing persons in Cyprus, in the framework of the follow-up to the European Parliament resolution of 15 March 2007 (see RSP/2007/2533 ).

The parliamentary committee Calls on the parties concerned to continue their cooperation aimed at a speedy completion of the appropriate investigations into the fate of all missing persons in Cyprus, and to give full effect to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judgment of 10 May 2001. All those who have, or are in a position to have, any information or evidence emanating from personal knowledge, archives, battlefield reports or records of detention sites are called on to pass that information or evidence on to the Committee on Missing Persons (CMP) to help expedite its work.

MEPs support the allocation of further financial support to the CMP for the years 2009 onwards and consider it essential to provide for an additional amount of EUR 2 million in the general budget of the European Union for 2009. They call on the Council and the Commission to agree on this further financial assistance and call on the Member States to continue the support they have given so far.

Lastly, the report requests that the Parliament permit its Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs to continue to follow-up the issue of missing persons in Cyprus and to submit annual reports. Furthermore, the rapporteur and the parliamentary committee should be authorised to take all possible steps to convince all parties concerned to contribute to the endeavours in the investigation into the fate of each and every missing person.