Brussels – Cyprus is resuming its participation in informal Councils and other events on the European agenda following the halt imposed following a drone attack on the British base at Akrotiri, in the south of the island, said Michael Damianos, Minister for Energy, Trade and Industry of the country currently holding the six-month presidency of the Council of the EU.
“The situation has returned to normal: all activities, including those relating to the European Union, have resumed, and all the informal Councils scheduled to take place in Cyprus between April and June will go ahead as planned,” Minister Damianos announced on his arrival at today’s Energy Council (16 March). “Cyprus is and remains a safe and secure place and will always be part of the solution to any crisis involving the region or the European Union,” he continued.
After postponing the first event, the informal meeting of European Affairs ministers scheduled for 2 March in Nicosia, on 5 March, the Cypriot presidency opted to reschedule or hold virtually all the meetings planned on the island for the month of March, also to avoid possible inconvenience for delegations, given the partial disruption of air connections. Since 1 January, Cyprus has held the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union and, as such, organised a packed schedule of events until the end of its term on 30 June: a schedule that had to be reorganized due to the escalation in the Middle East.
The rescheduling of the European ministerial agenda has resulted in the postponement of several key events to new dates and venues: the informal meeting of European Affairs Ministers, initially scheduled for 2 March and postponed to 10 and 11 May in Nicosia, and the meeting of Defence Ministers, originally set for 11–12 March, and then rescheduled for 7 June. Meanwhile, the Ecofin summit, scheduled for 27–28 March, has been postponed to 11–12 May in Paphos, while the meeting of the Trade Committee is among those postponed until a date to be confirmed.
In addition to ministerial-level meetings, the changes have also affected technical working groups: the seminar on maritime security challenges for the EU, scheduled to take place in Larnaca between 16 and 20 March and organised by the Cypriot Ministry of Defence in conjunction with the Academy of Security and Defence, the Institute of Higher National Defence Studies (IHEDN), and the ESDC (European Security and Defence College), has been postponed. In contrast, the joint meeting between the Culture Think-Tank and cultural attachés, scheduled for 4–5 March, had been officially cancelled.
Despite official assurances that the timetable has been restored, only the coming months will show whether the Cypriot presidency’s agenda can proceed without further disruptions. Although the government claims that the situation has returned to normal, it remains to be seen whether the evolution of regional tensions will allow all the rescheduled events to go ahead as planned, or whether further operational adjustments will be necessary in the face of any unforeseen circumstances.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
