“Autonomous and open to the world”—Cyprus ready to lead EU Council

Brussels – From Copenhagen to Nicosia. From the North Sea to the southeastern tip of the European Union, nestled in the Mediterranean. The Danish presidency of the EU Council is coming to an end: for the next six months, starting on 1 January, it will be Cyprus’s turn to set the agenda and chair the ministerial and diplomatic meetings of the member states. President Nikos Christodoulides presented yesterday (21 December) the work programme, summarised by the motto “An autonomous Union. Open to the world“. 

Fourteen years after its first mandate in 2012, Cyprus inherits a heavy baton. 2025 has been an annus horribilis for the Union: from the tariff war with the United States, to the disconnect with public opinion over the conflict in Gaza, to the increasingly dangerous dependence on China and the more recent hesitations over support for Ukraine, the EU has discovered itself weak and at the mercy of an increasingly aggressive world. 

“Today the heart of Europe beats stronger in Cyprus,” the president began, stressing that it is the only member state still partially under occupation. Christodoulides—who in Nicosia leads a centrist coalition government and is politically linked to the European People’s Party—will keep to the tracks laid by the European Commission in recent months, and already followed by the Polish and Danish Presidencies during 2025: the focus will be on security and competitiveness.

Security, competitiveness, budget: autonomy according to Cyprus

In its programme, Cyprus has identified five key points to strengthen the Union “from within,” all of which revolve around the concept of autonomy. Autonomy through security and defence, through competitiveness, through trade openness, through the defence of democratic values, and through an ambitious EU budget.

“In the next six months, supporting Ukraine will remain a key focus of the Cypriot presidency,” Christodoulides assured. In this sense, Nicosia is called upon to finalise the outcome of the summit of leaders a few days ago, who decided that the Union will proceed with enhanced cooperation—without Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic—to borrow on the markets and guarantee a 90 billion loan to Kyiv for the next two years. 

Níkos Christodoulídis with Ursula Von der Leyen in Cyprus in March 2024 [Credits: EU Commission]

The vision of Cyprus—an outpost of the EU towards the Middle East—is of a Union strong at home, protecting borders and strategic interests, while at the same time able to build partnerships and alliances from a position of strength, grounded in democratic values and respect for international law. Nicosia promises speedy implementation of the White Paper on Defence and commitment to implement all key defence initiatives: the SAFE instrument, the EDIP programme, and the defence industry strategy. 

But, in line with other southern European capitals, for Cyprus, security is not only about strengthening defence, but “it is a
broad, complex and multi-layered concept.”  In other words, the “effective management” of migration is “a key priority” for the island nestled on the eastern Mediterranean route. Focus on the full implementation of the Migration and Asylum Pact and on the first solidarity cycle, which provides that Cyprus itself—along with Italy, Spain, and Greece—can benefit from the relocation of migrants or financial assistance from other member states. 

Another priority stems from Cyprus’s geographical location: the implementation of the Pact for the Mediterranean, and the promotion of its key projects, which Christodoulides will present at the informal summit he will host on the island in April, in the presence of the ten heads of state of the southern neighbourhood countries. In addition, “strengthening our relations with regional organisations such as the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League is a strategic priority for the Cypriot presidency,” the president added. 

Cyprus then reaffirms its commitment to the regulatory simplification agenda undertaken by the European Commission: the goal remains the “substantial strengthening” of European competitiveness, to be achieved by “reducing bureaucracy, especially for the benefit of small and medium-sized enterprises, which are the backbone of the European economy.” At the same time, he will try to bring member countries on board in supporting new free trade agreements (Christodoulides mentioned the United Arab Emirates and India) because “a Union open to the world is also a Union with an open, strong and sustainable trade policy, achieved through expanding its network of trade agreements.”

One of the thorniest issues Cyprus will have to tackle is undoubtedly the 2028-34 multiannual budget. Negotiations are traditionally intense and off to a difficult start, given the upheaval in the European Commission’s budget proposal. “During our presidency, we intend to work to obtain a strong, ambitious, and balanced budget for the future of Europe,” the president assured. Christodoulides set the goal:
to “deliver a mature negotiating box with indicative figures” by the end of the six-month presidency.