MEP Geadis Geadi (ECR) has asked the European Commission whether it would call on EU member states to boycott the COP31 climate summit if Turkey continues to exclude the Republic of Cyprus from preparatory meetings and bilateral talks. The question, submitted on 7 July 2026, follows reports that the Turkish COP31 presidency has not invited Cyprus to preparatory briefings at UN headquarters in New York and has objected to its participation even as part of the EU delegation. The Commission has already described the exclusion as 'unacceptable', stressing that the EU consists of 27 member states entitled to equal representation.
The written parliamentary question contains three concrete asks: first, what specific measures the Commission will take to ensure Cyprus's full and equal participation in all COP31 work; second, whether the Commission would propose that EU member states not attend the summit if the exclusion persists, as a tangible act of solidarity; and third, whether the Commission considers EU participation in a summit where a host excludes an EU member state compatible with the Treaty principles of solidarity, equal treatment, and sincere cooperation.
Geadis, a member of the European Conservatives and Reformists group, is pressing the Commission to move from verbal condemnation to concrete action. The question signals a potential cleavage between EU solidarity with a member state and the diplomatic imperative to engage in global climate negotiations. If the Commission were to endorse a boycott, it would mark a major escalation in EU-Turkey tensions and could disrupt the COP31 process. Conversely, a refusal to consider a boycott may be seen as undermining the principle of equal treatment among member states.
The Commission is expected to reply within approximately six weeks. Its answer will indicate whether it views the exclusion as a bilateral issue to be resolved through diplomacy or as a breach of EU law requiring institutional countermeasures. The reply will also clarify the legal basis, if any, for linking participation in a UN climate summit to respect for EU membership rights.