A ship hoisted sails as of Wednesday steering for a new journey, having as its destination the heart of Europe, carrying with it the spirit and enthusiasm for the first Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU.
This ship/bird is depicted on the logo of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union, unveiled during a ceremony held here on Europe Day at Filoxenia Conference Centre, in the presence of ambassadors, representatives of diplomatic missions of EU member states and other officials.
The logo, a product of an open invitation to the public for ideas, is a graphic design of a ship sailing to the heart of Europe. As it does, the ship becomes a bird, the universal symbol of peace, carrying Cyprus’ vision for a better Europe to Brussels. Three sails stand on the upper part of the ship/bird, in three different colours (copper and green inspired by the Republic’s flag and the copper producing land and blue expressing the colour of a welcoming sea).
The logo is a concept and creation of the joint venture of “Partners”, which has also taken on the responsibility of developing the Presidency’s visual identity. This particular proposal was chosen after an open invitation to the public by the Press and Information Office on September 30, 2011. No award was given for the logo that has been chosen.
In his speech after the unveiling of the logo, Deputy Minister for European Affairs Andreas Mavroyiannis noted that the logo expresses “in a simple but eloquent manner the character of Cyprus as the country presiding the Council, using a language that is both familiar and easy to understand by all our European partners.
It depicts, he said, a distinct ship which sails towards Europe and “while it is sailing becomes a bird, the universal symbol of peace, the herald of the message we want to share with our partners: the vision for a better Europe, dedicated to the fundamental principles of solidarity and a Europe which is in a position to face more effectively today’s challenges and ensure the cohesion of the European edifice, a better Europe, more hospitable, which offers more to its citizens and neighbours.”
He explained that the colour of the ship/bird is the blue colour of the EU, while its three sails are “copper and green, colours inspired by our flag and the sun-bathed and dotted with olive threes copper producing land of Cyprus” and the “blue of the sea and the clear friendly sky, which provides cover for the harmonious co-existence of peoples, and also between man and the environment.”
Mavroyiannis said the logo of the Presidency is both a “statement” and a “presence” of the country holding the term presidency and conveys its messages in connection with the six-month period of the presidency. He stressed that this new journey “is a turning point in our modern history and a great opportunity for Cyprus to consolidate further its position in the family of European nations”.
“In a few days we shall all start our first journey of the Presidency of the Council of the EU. This journey will also mark the coming of age of the Republic of Cyprus as an EU member state and will prove that Cyprus is an equal, reliable and responsible member of the EU, ready to respond to the pursuits, the expectations and the concerns of all the citizens of Europe,” he noted.
He pledged to continue working hard and responsibly “in order to bring this historic duty to a successful end at challenging times for the EU.”
The visual identity, created based on the Cyprus Presidency logo, was presented on behalf on the joint venture “Partners”, by the general manager of PR Partners Ltd Elias Antoniades.
Press and Information Office Director Eleonora Gavrielides thanked Mavroyiannis, Government Spokesman Stephanos Stephanou, for their own substantial contribution as well as the creators of the logo and her colleagues at the Press and Information Office for this excellent result, as she said.
(source: cna)
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