Senior Cypriot maritime officials fended off criticism from delegates over the Cyprus fleet's detention rate, claiming the flag is being victimized. Cyprus has conveyed its feelings of grievance on the issue to the European Commission and is in the process of substantiating its claims, officials said. According to the Paris memorandum on safety, Cyprus, a candidate for European Union membership, has a 20 percent detention rate, compared to seven percent for other EU member states. The island has only managed to reduce this figure by one percent in the past two years. "When a flag is being targeted, you cannot draw inferences on the whole fleet on the basis of the results," said Serghios Serghiou, director of the Department of Merchant Shipping (DMS).