According to Cyprus Mail, The Cyprus Shipping Council (CSC) reported that the Turkish ban on Cypriot vessels is the number one problem for the shipping industry. CSC said the ban had caused hundreds of ships over the years to re-flag out of Cyprus and prevented hundreds of other ships from using the Cyprus Registry and that the issue had now become a European one since Turkey signed the customs union protocol with the 10 new member states. However, Ankara still refuses to lift the ban on Cypriot ships. The CSC president, however, welcomed the EU’s counter-statement in October last year that clearly said the embargo on Cypriot ships must be lifted within 2006.