Government of Cyprus

Policy topics Government of Cyprus is active on

What Government of Cyprus has said (80)

• 2026-06-19 “@CHAIR (16:52:45 – 16:54:41): years of presidency. Strengthening Europe's competitiveness remain at the center of our efforts, the 1 Europe 1 market agenda cosigned, in Cyprus last April. On simplification, we have concluded negotiation on the time sensitive AI regulation of the digital omnibus and on another 3 packages, defense readiness support for SMEs and chemicals. Whilst we have also delivered on the food and feed safety package. We also concluded the reform of the union's custom code, representing the most significant modernization of the customs union framework in decades. We also secured agreement within the Council on the European Business Wallet, the C band, and advanced negotiations on in declaration, which we hope to conclude. At the same time, we made significant progress toward a more integrated energy union, and we aim to reach a general approach on the grids package before the end of our presidency. Furthermore, we remain focused on policies that have a direct impact on our citizens, on our citizens' daily lives, and strengthen democratic participation. Let me just mention that we achieved a decisive breakthrough on the long awaited revision of the air passengers' right regulation, which was on the table for 13 years, delivering stronger rights for European citizens. We also concluded, negotiations with the European Parliament on the coordination of our social security, systems on critical medicines, the protection of adults, and concluded work on the European electoral act. I will stop here. I will not mention more. No. No. No. Continue.”
  EU political integration
• 2026-06-19 “@CHAIR (17:02:05 – 17:05:34): you very much. As I said, I'm very proud of the results achieved by the Cyprus presidency in many areas, but in particular with the sectors, that you referred to enlargement and the financial perspectives. Let me begin by referring to Montenegro, which was the 1st country that I visited when I took over the presidency, and we were able to organize 3 IGCs. We closed 4 chapters, and we created the ad hoc working group on the accession treaty. It was the 1st, working group after 16 years of that nature. After all of the work that we have done, we have given real prospects, for the countries in the Western Balkans, and we have stressed the importance of enlargement and demonstrated that. As for Ukraine and Moldova, we have decided to open, the 1st cluster after 2 years of impasse, and we will continue if the situation allows for that. For Albania, there will be an IGC with Albania on the 1st cluster, and I am convinced that the new presidency, the next presidency, will build on the foundations that have already been laid by the Cyprus presidency. Thanks to the cooperation with the European Commission. And maybe I can now refer to the financial perspectives. The budget of the EU has to reflect, today's, challenges. But, also, we have a lot of, different files which, have an impact on European citizens such as cohesion, common agriculture policy, and I'm proud that we've achieved 2 objectives. We have already presented a revised negotiating box with figures. And I can tell you that today, the discussion in the European Council was very constructive, and we have, 3 partial general approaches, on financing on the MFF in, the council. We know that there are differences between the member states, but despite that, we have already got those partial general approaches. We presented the revised negotiating box last year, and we were able to get a balanced compromise. And the result, needs to be a balanced compromise. It will be. When we began our work, I said to my colleagues, I think that it's a sign of success quite simply because none of you are entirely happy. I think that's a good example of a good compromise, when nobody's entirely happy with the outcome. Let me conclude by saying that it is a major challenge. Politically speaking, it's a very important objective. We want to reach that agreement by the end of this year. Thank you. You wanna speak 1st? Yes. Okay. Take that. Hi, Ken. Did I get it right? You wanted also a comment Yeah. On that”
  EU enlargement
• 2026-06-19 “@CHAIR (16:54:42 – 16:56:43): We wait for 15 years. Yeah. So 13, 15. No. No. I will stop here because Dear friends, 6 month 6 months ago, we took over the presidency with 1 central aim with aim to deliver. And today, I can proudly say that results speak for for themselves from security and defense to competitiveness, enlargement, energy migration, and social cohesion. The Cyprus Presidency has delivered for our European family, our citizens. And serving the helm of the council has been an extraordinary honor and 1 that we made a national mission, in Cyprus, the responsibility to be the voice of the 27 member states, serves as a powerful reminder that Europe advances when member states drive forward common European interest of our 4 50000000 citizens. I want to express my sincere gratitude to my colleagues in the European Council, to Antonio, to Ursula, to the commission, to Roberta, the European Parliament. Their contribution along this, journey was invaluable, and I wish also to pay special thanks and publicly congratulate our minister for European affairs, miss Marilena Ravonna, under whose oversight this collective national effort was carried out and who worked in an exemplary manner to carry our presidency forward very, very successfully. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much. Let me open the floor for questions, and I will start with Maria.”
  EU political integration
• 2026-06-19 “@CHAIR (16:46:04 – 16:52:45): Dear Antonio and dear Ursula and dear friends, good afternoon. We have just concluded the last European Council during the Cyprus Presidency. And in this, in this regard for Cyprus, this summit marks the culmination of 6 months at the helm of the council and journey that, we embarked on with great pride and a profound sense of responsibility and a duty we conducted with through dedication, intense work, steady progress, and tangible delivery. Results drive in the presidency from beginning to end. From the outset, we have approached our presidency with the conviction that there are no limits to what we deliver for our union. We also assume the presidency with a clear vision to give substance to European, strategic autonomy, to European independence as the next necessary step for European integration. And that is actually what our motto encapsulates for a more autonomous union open to the world, which has proven not only timely, but increasingly necessary in today's geopolitical environment. Dear friends, with 11, we have still 11 days to to go. We have a clear picture of the of the results of the Cyprus presidency across the the European agenda from defense and security to competitiveness, enlargement, social cohesion, and certainly, the new MFF. And let me begin with the next MFF. We achieved our goal of presenting a mature negotiating box with figures and securing partial general approaches on the key financial instruments and on other sectoral proposals. This has been a decisive step to take us to the next phase of negotiations and provide a very solid basis for reaching agreement by the end of the year. On Ukraine, let me say that, from our corner of the European Union as the union's last member state under occupation. It is absolutely clear what is at stake, in Ukraine and how it dispensed the police to uphold international legality and respect for the UN Charter, which are nonnegotiable. So during our presidency, we maintained our unwavering support through agreement on a substantial financial assistance package of 19,000,000,000, while also adopting the 20th package of restrictive measures against Russia. Security and defense, we delivered concrete progress, including through the implementation of SAFE with financial assisted decisions for 18 member states. We have also the conclusion of the Defense Readiness Omnibus and the advancement of the military mobility agenda. 2 days ago, we agreed on the council's mandate on the military mobility package. And of course, we initiated during our presidency discussions, which are now progressing on multiple levels on giving substance, giving flesh and bone to the mutual assistance clause of Article 42.7 for more European independence. On migration, we deliver agreement on the returns regulation and oversaw the entry into application of the pact on migration and asylum, making an important milestone towards a more effective, balanced and sustainable migration framework. Enlargement. Enlargement was a strategic priority for our presidency. Access on negotiations with Ukraine, Moldova, Albania and Montenegro advanced actively these 6 months. For Ukraine and Moldova, we achieved the completion of the front loading and officially open the 1st cluster in fundamentals. This led us to the historic accession conference with Ukraine and Moldova earlier in the week for cluster 1. At the same time, we advanced Albania's succession path, having delivered the accession conference on IBAR and took important steps forward with Montenegro, including through the establishment of the ad hoc working group for the drafting of the accession treaty for Montenegro. On The Middle East, as, the president of the commission very correctly mentioned, a vital region and neighborhood of the European Union. Cyprus has worked to keep engagement and cooperation with the countries of the region high on the on the European agenda. During our informal gathering in in Nicosia in April, together with Antonio, we brought regional leaders to the table for a very timely discussion on developments in our wider neighborhood and how we seize the momentum this momentum for deeper cooperation. We also secured important outcomes, enhancing our trade partnerships, the signature of the EU Mercosur partnership agreement and of the European Union Mexico agreements, a broad package of agreements with, Switzerland, an agreement on the regulations implementing the tariff related aspects of the European Union US joint statement. We have also further advanced the European Union UK relations by authorizing the opening of negotiations on UK participation in the EU internal electricity market and its contribution to cohesion policy and also by reaching agreement on Erasmus plus and on Gibraltar, bringing closure to the final outstanding Brexit issue. Strengthening the list is is long. And Yeah. I'm not mentioning Sounds like 2”
  EU competences on defence · EU political integration · EU-Ukraine relations
• 2026-06-16 “But above all, we have striven to deliver a regulation that is workable for each and every member state while preserving the ambition and coherence of the single plan framework. We believe that thanks to the collective effort of all of us, we have reached a text that is mature for a partial general approach on this cornerstone of the MFF. As was confirmed by Coreper. Moving on to the regulation of the European Competitiveness Fund, the ECF will be the key instrument to boost European competitiveness. The Commission proposal for the ECF follows the recommendations of the Dragon Letter reports and consolidates the 14 existing funding programmes under one single rule book, offering one single gateway to applicants. Since the start of our presidency, we have worked with all of you to find a balanced compromise. The text in front of us endorses excellence as the core principle to govern the ECF, while ensuring broad participation across member states. It ensures that Member States involvement is the priority setting in the priority setting process. It stresses the pivotal importance of SMEs and facilitates cross-border cooperation and strengthens the ECF invest EU instrument. The text provides a single coherent framework operating across the four policy windows. Here, too, we believe we have struck the right balance and are ready to adopt a partial general approach. As confirmed by Coreper. Finally, on Global Europe, this will be the EU's main external financing instrument.”
  EU industrial funding (mechanism level: EU-pooled vs nationally-financed)
• 2026-06-16 “And the reason for that is that we need to ensure that there is uninterrupted funding, and that is really important. We look forward to a fruitful and constructive debate amongst our leaders next week on the on the basis of the work that we have put on the table, our collective work, and that they will give us guidance and direction that will provide also the basis to the Irish presidency. ***Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) Sectoral”
  Size of EU budget
• 2026-06-16 “Thank you very much. And with that, we complete Member State's interventions. I thank you all for your forward looking and constructive approach. The Council has agreed on the three acts a partial general approach on the NRP, the ACF and Global Europe, which constitutes the council's partial mandate for negotiations with the European Parliament. The relevant statements have been noted and recorded. And this concludes today's public session. I would like to ask that the broadcast is.”
  EU political integration
• 2026-06-16 “Positions around the table. As you know all too well, have been strong and at times fundamentally opposed. Nonetheless, there is broad agreement on the need for a modern EU budget able of financing priorities, our priorities, long term investments and debt repayment. Our proposal preserves the proposed architecture, the modernized architecture that supports both ambition and flexibility. Our objective has been working with all of you as honest brokers to find a balanced compromise that allows our discussions to continue on a sound basis, and paves the way forward for a timely final agreement, as we have been mandated by our leaders. It is not the end of the road. Clearly it is a decisive step to that direction. The proposal contains a moderate overall reduction of around 2%, reflecting a compromise between calls for greater ambition on the one hand and demands for more substantial cuts. This has been designed in a balanced manner across the different headings. Safeguarding. At the same time, the overall equilibrium of the package and the shares of the different headings. Attention has also been given to Member States with a knee below 90% of the EU average. The proposal addresses concerns regarding gaps in treaty based policies while doing so within the relevant heading, and without altering the overall balance of the framework. This revised box represents, as I have said, an important step towards reaching an agreement by the end of 2026. Prior to opening the debate to you, dear colleagues, I would like to pass the floor to Commissioner Serafin. Dear Piotr, the floor is yours.”
  Size of EU budget
• 2026-06-16 “@CHAIR (17:28:15 – 17:31:12): Thank you, Roland. Commissioner? Thank you very much for your questions. I was pleased to have the opportunity today to provide the Commission's assessment in relation to Article 7 in respect of Hungary and acknowledging that it is still early days and the government is only a number of weeks in office at this stage. And I updated colleagues on my visit to Budapest, two weeks ago and on the different reforms that have been announced and that are already making their way through parliament, in certain instances. They are very important reforms that, we acknowledge may take some time to actually fully complete. But from our perspective, the commitment of the new Hungarian government is clear. Their commitment to restore the rule of law in the country is especially important. And what's important for us as a Commission is to support them in that endeavor over the period ahead. I think good progress has been made. Of course, it is early days yet overall, but we do welcome the movement in relation to the sovereignty protection office, the public interest trusts, for example, and also the commitment to ensuring that the fundamental rights of all citizens are protected and ensuring that we have an independent justice system, that we have a free independent, and plural media sector as well, which is especially important. Of course, when it comes to Article 7, it was triggered by the European Parliament back in 2018. The Commission's role is fundamentally to provide an analysis when it is up for discussion before the General Affairs Council, and it will be for the institutional stakeholders to make a decision at the appropriate time about the future of Article 7. In relation to the pact on asylum and migration, the Commission is committed to working closely with the Hungarian authorities also on migration. We're ready to support Hungary to make progress on the implementation of the pact. As a reminder, the pact foresees a flexible solidarity mechanism with three possible measures of support, relocations, financial contributions, and also operational support. Member states have full discretion to choose from any of these solidarity measures, and this has indeed been mentioned by the prime minister. No member state is forced to relocate. So we'll work with Hungary as we do with every other member state in the context of ensuring the full implementation of the pact on asylum and migration.”
  Rule of law in Hungary
• 2026-06-16 “Many thanks Piotr. I propose we now proceed to adopting the partial general approaches on the three files being the NPP regulation. The ECF regulation and the one on Global Europe. Is there any delegation that wishes to take the floor? And we start.”
  EU competences on foreign affairs
• 2026-06-16 “@CHAIR (17:24:46 – 17:27:13): Absolutely sure. That's an easy question to answer. And let me elaborate a little bit on that. The discussion today, on the NEGO box, was forward looking. Of course, there are disagreements. This is not new. It was the case since the very beginning when we assumed our presidency. And we worked very closely, intensively at all levels, expert level, technical level, political level with all member states to gain a very close understanding of the positions and sensitivities. And we exerted all efforts to put on the table what is a compromise proposal, what is a basis for discussion. It is not the end of the road. What it does do is to take us at this point to the necessary next phase of the negotiations. We were prepared and pragmatic for their reactions there would be. As Commissioner McGrath said, no one is happy, and I think that is expected at this stage of the negotiations. But there is something in this negotiating box for all member states, and it will be a basis, a decisive step as I have mentioned, and a basis for the negotiations to come. And also, what makes me confident that we have absolutely progressed is what is on our table right now, agreements on the three sectoral files, partial general approaches on the NRPP, on the ECF, and on Global Europe. And the overall discussion there was very positive, I would say, in the council. So that is a package. We now have, for the first time, a negotiating box that has figures, and we have the partial general approaches. And that take us to the next stage. And as I have said, this is a shared responsibility that we have to deliver, on the budget by the end of 2026. Thank you, minister. I will now move to online. I see Roland. He raised his hand.”
  Size of EU budget
• 2026-06-16 “Okay. The direction by the member states was strengthening the importance of greater cooperation between the member states. This was highlighted by the ministers in relation to the importance of greater European cooperation and incentives for the companies for innovation and coordination action to proceed with balancing access again within the European Union. What we will be doing after the discussions today, as I said before, we are collecting the views expressed by the member states. We're preparing a note which will be handed over to the Irish presidency, which will be taking over very soon. Of course, at the same time, we'll continue for the next few days monitoring the situation until the Irish presidency takes over. Thank you.”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• 2026-06-16 “@CHAIR (17:03:20 – 17:15:53): Calispera, thank you, Maria, and a very warm welcome to today's press conference following the last general affairs council to take place under the Cyprus presidency. From the outset, I would like to wholeheartedly thank Commissioner McGrath and his colleagues for their continuous impeccable cooperation and engagement over the last months of our presidency. And I would also like to extend a very special thank you to our trio partners, Poland and Denmark. Working together over the past 18 months has been a genuine privilege. The Cyprus Presidency also marks the end of the current trio and the start of the next one, Ireland, Lithuania, and Greece. Turning now to today's council meeting, we had a very busy day and many important topics on our agenda. Our main focus has been the new multi-annual financial framework. When it comes to the three main files, the NRPP, the ECF, and Global Europe, I am exceptionally pleased that we secured partial general approaches today. This is a major achievement, not just of the Cyprus presidency. It is a major achievement for the European Union. We have worked intensively with strong focus, transparency, and inclusiveness on all of these files over the past months, and the agreements that have been reached today are a vital stepping stone to enable us to progress towards the goal of reaching a timely agreement on the MFF by the end of 2026. They will ensure that the EU will be more competitive, stronger, more secure, more flexible and agile, and better equipped to respond effectively to current and future challenges. With this agreement, we're now ready to engage in negotiations with the European Parliament for these three important files. Over the past months, we have also been working very hard on the revised negotiating box inserting new figures after the Commission's proposal. We delivered last week the revised negotiating box with these first figures circulated as a public document, and it goes hand in hand with the crucial work carried out on the three sectoral files. All of this put together represents a package, and thanks to this, the pieces of the puzzle are starting to fall into place. What we have presented is a balanced compromise that reflects the interest and priorities of the Union as a whole of all EU member states. As far as the negotiating box is concerned, we propose a moderate cut of 2%. This compromise represents all voices in the council as we have heard strong voices calling for a more ambitious budget and at the same time very strong voices calling for significant cuts. We proceeded with cuts across all headings, taking into account the respective constraints. We did so while maintaining the allocation, the share of allocation amongst the headings. We did so while maintaining our ambition. And at the heart of our approach is modernization. This is why we have maintained the proposed architecture and the overall balance amongst headings. And this was solidified today with the partial general approaches on the key sectoral files. Today's very productive discussion at the general affairs council will pave the way for the work ahead. We are not at the end of the road, but what we have done is take a decisive step that takes us to the next phase towards our common objective of reaching a timely agreement by the end of 2026. That is the mandate we have received by the European Council. And now it is our shared responsibility to move forward on the negotiations. I wish our Irish colleagues good luck for the important work ahead. They can count on our continuous support. At today's meeting, we also discussed the draft European Council conclusion in preparation of the leaders meeting taking place later this week. As far as the council agenda European Council agenda is concerned, Ukraine remains high on the leader's agenda. The latest developments in the Middle East will also feature prominently in their discussions. And in addition, the European Council will provide an important opportunity for leaders to offer their political guidance on the future MFF, building on their work by the Cyprus presidency and following the presentation of the negotiating box. We very much welcome discussion. It represents a significant milestone in the MFF negotiations and an important moment for shaping Europe the Union's future priorities. Competitiveness and Europe's response to global common challenges will also be central themes of the European Council. The leaders will take stock of the ongoing work with the One Europe, One Market roadmap and assess the progress made on the implementation of the joint declaration and the roadmap, which was signed by the three institutions by President Christodoulidis, President Wunderlein and President Metzola during the informal European Council on April 24 in Cyprus. President Christodoulidis will also present the main results of the Cyprus presidency. Defense and security, migration, illicit drugs will also feature in the discussions. This morning, we also held a very timely discussion on the European Democracy Shield and the European Resilience Center. Strengthening democratic resilience has been a key political priority of our presidency, and I'm particularly pleased that we had the opportunity to welcome today. We invited our enlargement partners to this exchange. Since defense of democracy does not stop at the borders of the European Union, it requires cooperation. It requires partnership and shared commitment with neighbors and partners. And yesterday, with these partners, we had the truly milestone day on enlargement where we held three IGCs on the same day with Ukraine, Moldova, and Montenegro, and we are proud to have contributed to creating more momentum in the enlargement process. Today, we also took stock of where we stand when it comes to simplification. Throughout our presidency, we have been delivering on simplification agenda. We have been working on seven omnibus packages comprising more than 20 legislative proposals. We have treated each and every one of them as a priority advancing work across the board, and we will continue to do so until the last day of our presidency. These are key drivers for European competitiveness. Now moving on to rule of law. We had the opportunity, excuse me, to take stock of developments regarding the rule of law situation in Hungary since the last hearing of Hungary in October 2025 and following the formation of the new government as part of the ongoing article 7(1) procedure concerning Hungary. We heard from Hungary on how this new government plans to address the concerns raised in the recent proposal and in the interim reports by the European Parliament and the member states. The Commission provided valuable information on how Hungary can reach the milestones foreseen. This was a forward looking, informative, productive discussion that we welcomed, and the council will remain cyst of the article 7 procedure. And by way of concluding, please allow me to say a few words about the work the Cyprus Presidency has driven forward over the past months since this is the last press conference, the last GAC. For us, it marks the culmination of a long, demanding, but above all, deeply rewarding journey. From the very outset, we acted as honest brokers. We have worked consistently with transparency, with perseverance, with a clear focus on results and hard work, the way Cypriots know how to roll their sleeves and get the job done. Our aim was simple, to contribute meaningfully to the European project through tangible deliverables to strengthen our common European home with a very clear vision for a European Union that is more autonomous and more open to the world. And now with only 14 days to go, we can proudly say that the Cyprus presidency has delivered across the five pillars of our priorities priorities that we have set under our motto, a more autonomous union, open to the world. From presenting a mature negotiating box with figures to reaching agreement on the three key pillars of the new multi-annual financial framework that about a week ago would have thought very out of reach, and here we are. We have delivered. From supporting Ukraine through the €90,000,000,000 loan, the 20th sanctions packaging, their second accession conference alongside with Moldova and Montenegro with tangible progress on enlargement, on competitiveness, driving forward the simplification agenda on completing nine simplification proposals, delivering on files that were stagnant for years, such as the air passengers rights regulation, such as regulation 883 on the social security of workers because above all, we're a European Union of values that leaves no one behind. To security, where we secured agreement on the returns regulation, which complements the EU pact for migration and asylum. From the approval at the council of the 18 national defense investment plans under the safe regulation, the progress we have achieved on military mobility. President Christodoulidis will be presenting the deliverables of the presidency during the European Council. For Cyprus, this presidency has always been much more than an institutional responsibility. Under the leadership of President Christodoulidis, who made this a national mission for Cyprus, who drove this forward with a true European vision because he's a true European leader. We were able to work consistently over the last two and a half years in order to bring the results that we see today. We saw it from the beginning as an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the European project. And I've said it before at a press conference, but I will say it again. Cyprus may be a small member state, but it is a small member state with a big European soul. And it has been a great honor to carry out this institutional responsibility. Thank you very much. Thank you, minister. Commissioner, the floor is yours.”
  Size of EU budget
• 2026-06-16 “Good afternoon, and welcome to the press conference following today's EPSCO Council. We are joined by our minister of health, Neofidos Haralambides, and European commissioner for health and animal welfare, Oliver Varje. I now give the floor to minister Haralambides who will present the main results from today's EBSCO Health Council. Minister, the floor is yours.”
  EU competences on health (internal-competence axis, sharpened)
• 2026-06-16 “18:41 – 16:22:38): Very good. Yes. The Cyprus presidency, since day 1, has placed simplification high on its agenda in line with the call of our leaders and the 2nd pillar of our priorities, an autonomous union through competitiveness. Simplification is about minimizing red tape, strip lining streamlining rules, reducing recurring administrative costs for the benefit of our businesses, particularly our SMEs, which are the backbone of our economies. As presidency, we have been managing 7 omnibus packages comprising more than 20 proposals. We have treated each and every 1 of them as a priority, advancing work across the board both in inter institutional negotiations as well as within the council. We will continue to do so until the last day of our presidency. I would like to sincerely thank you, your delegations, for the very constructive approach and support throughout these negotiations. Delivering results is both a collective responsibility as much as it is a collective achievement. I would also like to thank the team in Brussels and in Nicosia, the simplification team, for their hard work, professionalism, and dedication. In summary, we have reached agreements with the European Parliament on 9 proposals and secured negotiating mandates on 3 others. Did you did we secure another 1 or not yet tonight? Tonight. Okay. In May, we reached agreement with the European Parliament on the important and time sensitive AI part of the digital omnibus. This marked the 1st deliverable under the 1 Europe, 1 market road map well within the set deadline. This month, we secured agreements with the European Parliament on 2 additional Omnibus packages. 1st, on Omnibus 4, which focuses on small, mid cap enterprises as well as digitalization and common specifications. With this agreement, we extend support measures beyond SMEs to companies that are scaling up, supporting businesses to grow, innovate, and create jobs across the EU. 2nd, we struck a deal on the 5th Omnibus to boost EU defense industry and readiness. This agreement simplifies security and defense procurement, facilitates defense investments, and supports the defense industrial base. Later this evening, our negotiators will meet with the European Parliament for inter institutional negotiations on the 6th Omnibus on chemicals. Agreement on this package will be crucial to reduce reporting burdens arising from 3 major pieces of legislation on chemicals. Lastly, we have also concluded work on 1 of the proposals under the food and feed safety package and secured a negotiating mandate on another. On the remaining omnipus simplification proposals, we have already achieved significant progress. However, we do not stop here. We intend to maintain the momentum and seek to conclude work within the council on on remaining files. This will enable us to hand them over to the Irish friends in a position to begin negotiations with the European Parliament so they can be able to conclude the files within the timelines that are set in the 1 Europe, 1 market road map, which was signed by the 3 institutions in the margins of the informal European Council on the April 24 in Cyprus. Commissioner, may I invite you to take the floor?”
  Overall simplification of regulation in the EU
• 2026-06-16 “35:18 – 16:40:08): Allow me before concluding and before we adopt the 18 month program to to also greet goodbye from GAC to Alexandra, but not, a goodbye in general. Alexandra was 1 of the 1st people that I, I talked to after I asked you, after I was I was appointed, 2 and a half years ago. And because she had done another presidency of Greece, of the council previously, I have to say she gave me the most valuable advice right at the beginning that I have carried with me, and I think which has been instrumental in guiding us through this presidency, and it was you you don't need a lot to do a very good presidency. You need to work very hard. You need to find the right people. It doesn't have to be many, but you work hard and you get the desired outcome. And that is what we have done. Alexandra is a a legend, a diplomatic legend in Greece and beyond for those, for for those of us who know very well. And personally, it's a privilege to call you a friend and a privilege to have called you a colleague. Thank you very much. And, I propose that we endorse the 18th month program of the incoming trio, of the presidency. Thank you all, very much. The council has, endorsed the program, and I wish Ireland, Lithuania, and Greece every success in the next 18 months. I am certain of it, and you can absolutely count on the support of Cyprus in the months ahead. And, we will now do also now that we are have come to the end of our agenda and we are concluding, we will do a very brief, handover with with Thomas. Allow me a few words because this is, the last, gag, and it marks the culmination of a very long journey which started 2 and a half years ago for myself, for the team, and 1 that has been, as all of you know, an extremely demanding journey, but absolutely worth it, immensely rewarding. And when we embarked on this journey 2 and a half years ago, it seemed very far, not only in the calendar, but I think also, emotionally. But what I can say is that Cyprus from the very beginning approached this, institutional duty with a great sense of responsibility, with immense pride to be at the helm of of the council. We may be a small member state, but as I always say, we are a small member state with a very big European soul. We are the lighthouse of the European Union in the Eastern Mediterranean. For us, the European Union was a big dream, and we have taken this opportunity to to contribute to our common European project, contributing to giving substance to European strategic autonomy because we believe this is what is necessary in the evolutionary process of the European Union. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank, the team both in Nicosia at the secretariat of the Cyprus presidency, at the permanent representation, the permanent representative, ambassador Rafdi, every single member of the team that has made this successful presidency, possible for Cyprus. And nothing would have been possible without the leadership of president Christodoulidis, who is a fervently pro European leader that has made the Cyprus presidency nothing short than a national mission for Cyprus and made it a priority that we deliver. Thank you to the secretariat of the council. You have been incredible in supporting us. Thank you, Didier, the whole team. Thank you very much to the commission for the impeccable cooperation on all, the files. And I invite Thomas to do the handover. Oh, mine is bigger. Thomas, what have you brought? Start. Watches and jewelry from Ireland.”
  EU political integration
• 2026-06-16 “The Commission proposed to simplify the current architecture by bringing together, under one single instrument, several currently existing financial tools. At the same time, in the current extremely volatile geopolitical context, it is also imperative to make our external action more flexible, more agile while preserving the necessary predictability and strategic steering. In this spirit, we worked to put on the table a compromise text that responds to the positions and concerns expressed by the delegations, both at the working party and horrible levels. This compromise introduces a number of substantive amendments to ensure that global Europe remains flexible and effective instrument serving the Union's strategic objectives. These include, amongst others, reinforced strategic steering by the council and stronger governance of flexibility mechanisms, a more prominent role for enlargement and neighbourhood support. A balanced and comprehensive approach to migration and forced displacement, and clearer provisions on eligibility. European preference and Team Europe approach. These three files confirm the ambition of the council to have a modern and agile long term budget. This compromise texts have received broad support in Cordoba, and the presidency believes that it strikes the right balance between the different positions. Dear colleagues, I would like to thank all of you for your constructive contributions during the negotiations on all of the three files. We believe that this text will provide a strong basis for our negotiations with the European Parliament, and I will now pass the floor to Commissioner Serafin.”
  Funding for EU Neighbourhood
• 2026-06-16 “If I may add something. The member states stressed the need for a common approach. That was the thrust that we had mostly today. As the commissioner said before, there was a mandate for an analysis of the global innovation situation, if I remember correctly, this is how it was put forward. Again, it was stressed that there was need for strengthening innovation, research, pharmaceutical sector in the EU, create ways to make sure that we ensure that the European Union remains attractive for the pharmaceutical companies. Solidarity was what was heard, and they need to share information between the member states. And once again, I repeat, there was discussion on the pharma package, biotech, and CMA, and the ways that these important legislative initiatives will assist towards this path decided today.”
  Pharmaceuticals regulation in EU — innovation/access axis
• 2026-06-16 “26:10 – 16:27:25): Thank you very much. Dear Thomas, I do not see any other member states asking for the floor. And I formally conclude that the council took note of the progress report on the omnibus simplification packages prepared by the presidency. ***Eighteen-month programme of the Council (1 July 2026 - 31 December 2027) - Endorsement”
  EU political integration
• 2026-06-16 “Results of the votes will be displayed on our screens and on the internet, on the video streaming and the page of the Council. We will proceed to the vote on the adoption of the Council's position on draft amending budget number one to the General Budget for 2026. Concerning the budgeting of the surplus resulting from the implementation of the budget year 2025, the Council should now be able to adopt its position on draft amending budget number one to the General Budget for 2026, as set out in documents 99, one six, 26, 99, 17/26, as well as to approve the draft Council statement recorded in document 991626. Addendum one ref two. Okay, the result is now displayed. I note know that the required majority has been reached with all delegations voting in favor, and that the council's position on draft amending budget number one for 2026 is therefore adopted, and that the Council's statement will be recorded in the council minutes. With this, the list of legislative items is now approved and this concludes this agenda item. We continue with the next item which is also in public session. Cameras are switched on. Yes. Very good. Our next point on the agenda is a policy debate on the negotiating box for the next MFF, as promised by the Cyprus presidency and after continuous and intensive consultations, both at the technical and the political level with each and every Member State, we are presenting today a box with the first figures after the Commission's proposal. This revised negotiating box represents a mature and balanced compromise.”
  Size of EU budget
• 2026-06-16 “And we continue with in public session, we turn to the endorsement of the program of the next presidency trio as our presidency trio comes to an end at the close of this month with, Denmark and Poland, it is like time to look ahead and hear from our colleagues who will guide the council's work over the next 18 months. I would like to take the floor to express my deepest appreciation for the excellent cooperation and the excellent results we have had together with Poland and Denmark. I thank you very much. And I now invite Ireland, Lithuania, and Greece to present their joint program.”
  EU political integration
• 2026-06-16 “Thank you very much, Commissioner, and many thanks to each and every colleague for the important interventions and inputs. We are well aware that this revised negotiating box, the first one that has figures, is one step in a longer process, but it is an important step nonetheless. That essentially takes us to the next phase of the negotiations. As presidency, we worked since day one in a very transparent, inclusive manner, uh, working both at the technical and political level with each and every member state. And we have exerted every effort to strike a balance between the differing positions and to put something on the table that is a basis for future work in the months ahead. And we have done so in what we believe is a revised negotiating box that preserves our ambition, that preserves modernization, and in this regard. Our next item on the three sectoral files and the Pgas there is very important. We have preserved flexibility as well as the share of allocation amongst the headings. We have heard today as well your comments and reflections, and I am sure that our Irish friends have also taken good note ahead of the work that they will continue. And I will also note this. The Commissioner mentioned it as well. It is important that we do enter this next phase, and that is signalled by these revised negotiating box with figures to be able to respond to the mandate that we have for an agreement by the end of 2026.”
  EU industrial funding (mechanism level: EU-pooled vs nationally-financed)
• 2026-06-16 “Thank you very much, Berna. Good afternoon. We have just concluded the EBSCO Health Council under the Cyprus presidency. I would like to thank commissioners Oliver Vaheli and Khaja Labib and my fellow ministers for their constructive engagement throughout our presidency. Their cooperation has enabled us to achieve significant progress over the last 6 months.”
  EU competences on health (internal-competence axis, sharpened)
• 2026-06-16 “I thank you all very much, and we continue to. Our next item concerning the three main sectoral legislative acts linked to the next MFF. We will continue this in public session. Last summer, the European Commission tabled several sectoral legislative proposals as part of the MFF package. The three main regulations were firstly the National and Regional Partnership Plans. Secondly, the European Competitiveness Fund and thirdly, Global Europe. The provisions with financial implications are left for guidance by our leaders, and we will come back to them at a later stage. Since the beginning of our presidency, and especially over the last two weeks, we have worked intensively and closely with you, with your teams, to address your concerns. And I am very pleased that in preparation of this meeting, Coreper reached an agreement on all three acts. This is a big achievement, and I would like to thank all of you around this table for your constructive spirit, for the political support, as well as the delegations and experts involved in the preparatory work whose dedication and professionalism made it possible.”
  EU industrial funding (mechanism level: EU-pooled vs nationally-financed)
• 2026-06-16 “Allow me this opportunity to Pay special appreciation to the Cyprus Presidency team. Their professionalism, dedication and tireless efforts throughout our presidency have been invaluable and for me personally, it has been a true privilege to work with them throughout the six months. The three acts are now presented to us for an agreement as three partial general approaches. Before doing so, let me briefly recall what these acts are about and how they fit into the new MFF. Starting with the NRP, this regulation bundles all shared management funds into one single fund covering cohesion, agriculture, fisheries and home affairs. This new architecture, together with the switch to a performance based system for payments, has kept us and the preparatory bodies of the Council. Busy since the proposal was tabled last July. The Cyprus presidency has devoted all its energy into listening to member States concerns, organising as many meetings as necessary to thoroughly assess the proposal, provide the necessary clarifications on the implementation and its concrete impacts on the concerned policies, and we have put forward solutions that would fairly reflect the diverse views of Member States. This bilateral and multilateral meetings were held in addition to the intensive technical discussions within the Council. We have also organised a number of technical seminars on different aspects of the proposed regulation, with the participation of your experts from the capitals to provide a better understanding as to the delivery system. And perhaps most importantly, we have worked intensively on the compromise proposal in order to provide clarity, flexibility and predictability, and to strike the right balance between the many very different sensitivities of member states and especially of beneficiaries.”
  Cohesion and rural funding
• 2026-06-16 “@CHAIR (17:02:42 – 17:03:15): Good afternoon, and welcome to today's press conference following our last general affairs council. We are joined by Deputy Prime Minister, Deputy Minister for European Affairs, Marilena Rauna, and by Commissioner for Democracy, Justice, the Rule of Law, and Consumer Protection, Michael McGrath. I will first give the floor to Minister Raula who will take us through the main points that were discussed at today's council. Minister, the floor is yours.”
  EU political integration
• 2026-06-16 “Thank you very much. Thank you for the—sorry. Thank you very much, commissioner, first of all, for your kind words on the effort put in by the Cyprus presidency. We organized the lunch to give the opportunity to the member states to exchange views as far as the strengthening of the pharmaceutical resilience and strategic autonomy of the European Union. This was the first political discussion on this topic. The aim was to enhance synergies and reinforce collective efforts to build a stronger and more resilient European Health Union, one that is able to safeguard the sustainability, accessibility, and affordability of pharmaceuticals for its citizens. The main issues discussed were the European pharmaceutical framework. There was support by the ministers towards a strong, predictable, and innovation-friendly European Pharmaceutical Framework that promotes investment, competitiveness, and timely access to medicines. And in this regard, the CMA was often referred to during the discussion. There was a discussion as far as the challenges, even though they remain, even though we have ongoing initiatives at the same time. The member states stated that while they were welcoming the initiatives to strengthen the pharma supply chains, ministers noted that challenges remain, particularly as far as medicine shortages are concerned, affordability pressures, and still unequal access in member states. There was broad agreement that there is a need to protect Europe's model of universal, equitable, and financially sustainable access to medicine, ensuring that patients can access innovative treatments without at the same time undermining the public health budgets, the balance or the proportionality, if I may say, principle. And finally, ministers highlighted the importance of graded European cooperation, stronger incentives for meaningful innovation, and coordinated action to balance access, affordability, sustainability, and competitiveness. Cyprus presidency is coming to its end. It will follow up on the outcomes of today's discussions. We will gather what has been discussed, and we will follow up and deliver, if I may say, to the forthcoming Irish presidency. And we will continue to monitor the evolving situation for safeguarding the competitiveness and innovation within the union in order to protect our patients above all and the European citizens.”
  Pharmaceuticals regulation in EU — innovation/access axis
• 2026-06-15 “Welcome everybody to our press conference following the Foreign Affairs Council. The high representative will brief you now today onto, on today's discussions with the ministers, and then we will move on to your questions. So high representative.”
  EU foreign policy approach
• “Thank you. Chair. Madam Commissioner, dear colleagues, thank you for the opportunity to contribute to this important discussion. The interim evaluation emphasizes the pivotal role of the Framework Programme in strengthening Europe's competitiveness. It also reaffirms the need for the programme to remain a standalone initiative supported by stable and adequate budget. This is crucial to address the issue of budget exhaustion, which currently leaves nearly 70% of high quality proposals unfunded. Nonetheless, several challenges require our attention. The complexity of the EU collaborative R&D landscape must be reduced. A more focused approach, built around fewer and more strategic priorities and research topics would significantly enhance coherence and impact. Closing the R&D gap across member states states remains a pressing challenge. Strengthening widening measures is essential not only by maintaining dedicated instruments, but also by supporting the development of innovation capacity, especially in less represented regions. Participation in the European Innovation Council, for instance, remains limited in several widening countries. This imbalance should be addressed to ensure a truly inclusive and effective European R&D ecosystem. The next programme should not only retain but expand widening instruments, including their extension to support innovation. Easing SME participation requires a combination of targeted support, improving access to finance through grants, blended finance and instruments like EIC see accelerator is essential to help SMEs scale up and bring innovations to market. Equally important is making Europe's regulatory and funding environment more SME friendly. Framework programme tools that promote agility, reduce time to market and simplify compliance can significantly boost SME participation. Finally, the EC's evolving role in supporting dual use technologies is both a timely and promising initiative. We look forward to its implementation and the assessment of its impact. We support closer alignment between civilian and defence innovation, but ambition must be matched by resources. If the EU is to lead in dual use and defence technologies, increased and dedicated funding will be essential in future R&D programmes. Thank you.”
  EU research funding
• “40:58 – 16:44:44): Thank you, executive vice president Diana Hena. I can now conclude that the council has been informed about the outcomes of the latest D9 plus ministerial meeting. ***Protection of minors online”
  Safety features & content control for child protection online
• “I will now move on to. The AOB item from the presidency. Cyprus on the 2026 Nicosia call for climate action. The item will be discussed again in public session, so please note that the cameras stays on. Dear colleagues. The Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East is one of the world's most affected regions by climate change. The numbers tell us so urgent, ambitious and collective action is needed to that end. Last month, the Cyprus presidency organised an international conference on climate action in the Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East Regional Cooperation empowered by science and innovation. The conference resulted with the 2026 Nicosia Call for climate action. This call for action identifies four strategic priorities. I would just call them out here. Firstly, they need to empower people and communities, especially youth and women, as the driving force of Mediterranean cooperation in that respect. Secondly, the need to build stronger and more durable science and innovation cooperation. The third priority is to strengthen governance, coordination and sustainable funding. This is a necessary step to ensure consistency and durability in our climate action. And finally, the Nicosia Call for Climate Action outlines the importance of mobilising partnerships on regional, European and international levels through science diplomacy. Dear colleagues, we need to show unity around science based cooperation to build resilience, stability and prosperity. This call represents an important and ambitious step in this direction, and hence our willingness to present this to you. So I now go to the commissioner. Dear Katerina, the floor is yours.”
  Climate efforts
• “Scale ups, especially in critical sectors associated with the twin transition. Importantly, EU actions must account for the specificities of each member state in order to unlock untapped R&D potential by leveraging their unique strengths and addressing their weaknesses. Tailor approaches that encourage private sector engagement are essential. At the same time, openness to the collaboration with third countries is important for enhancing EU global competitiveness. Finally, addressing the third question, this requires a strategic mix of financial incentives, public private partnerships and regulatory reforms to foster a favourable business environment to facilitate the building of investor confidence. We also see tremendous potential in adopting public innovation procurement best practices across the union to drive demand for cutting edge solutions. Additionally, streamlining the development of regulatory sandboxes for testing disruptive technologies is expected to enhance Europe's ability to innovate. The Draghi report offers a compelling roadmap for Europe's competitiveness. At the same time, it needs careful calibration to address trade offs and ensure effective implementation, particularly for smaller countries with limited budgets. Thank you for your attention and I look forward to our continued collaboration in advancing these shared goals.”
  "Buy European" provisions
• “@CHAIR (17:13:29 – 17:16:42): Thank you, Berna. Good afternoon, Calispera. We have just concluded the afternoon session of the Compet Council meeting where ministers addressed key strategic issues shaping Europe's future in space. I would first like to thank commissioner Kubilius for his close cooperation and his constructive engagement. Today's discussions reaffirm the importance of space as a driver of Europe's competitiveness, economic security, and technological sovereignty. The council took note of the presidency's progress report on the EU Space Act aimed at strengthening Europe's space sector, improving safety and sustainability, and reducing fragmentation across the union. Significant progress has been made, including a streamlined compromise text that reduces administrative burdens and clarifies key legal and governance elements. However, important issues remain open, notably regarding governance, dual use activities, third country operators, and international responsibilities. Work will continue until the end of June to prepare the ground for the Irish presidency with the shared objective of maintaining momentum on this strategically important file and ensuring Europe remains a strong, independent, and innovative space actor. The update on this EU Space Act was complemented with an exchange of views on the role of space for Europe's economic security. Space technologies and services have become essential to everyday life and the key sectors across the union from transport, communications, and climate monitoring to both the management and defense. While Europe has strong assets such as Galileo, Copernicus, and Iris Square, global competition in space is accelerating and vulnerabilities in critical technologies, supply chains, and industrial capacities remain an important concern. Against this background, there was both agreement that Europe needs a more proactive approach to economic security, 1 that anticipates risks rather than simply reacts to them while strengthening resilience and preserving openness and innovation. The discussion also underlined the importance of maintaining a balanced approach that keeps Europe open to international cooperation while better protecting strategic interest and critical capabilities in space. Overall, today's discussions confirm that space is no longer only a sector of innovation but a strategic pillar for Europe's resilience, preparedness, and autonomy. Strengthening Europe's space capabilities will remain essential to safeguarding our competitiveness, security, and leadership in an increasingly contested global environment. Thank you very much. Thank you, minister. I'll now give the floor to the commissioner. Commissioner, the floor is yours.”
  EU competences on space policy
• “@CHAIR (18:02:21 – 18:02:52): Good afternoon, and welcome to the press conference, following today's EUICS council that focused on culture and sport. We are joined by our deputy minister of culture, Vasiliki Kasianidu, and commissioner for intergenerational fairness, youth culture, and sport, Glenn Mikaylaf. I will now give the floor to deputy minister, who will outline the key achievements, of the day. Minister? Thank you very much, Per. The floor is yours.”
  EU and national cultural identities
• “Thank you. Chairman. Commissioner. We believe that this compromise proposal, the regulation proposal on DNT as a significant step in our efforts to achieve the goals of the farm to fork strategy. Um, these new improvements will be part of the final solution. If we want to achieve our mid-tum and long Terme objectives and maintain the competitiveness of the EU. [00:40:30] At the same time, we'd like to thank the presidency and the Commission for the efforts they've made and more specifically, for taking into account, uh, provisions that protect organic farming. This allows us to take into account the geographic particularities of island states and insular regions, where the agricultural structure is very specific, for example Cyprus. These provisions is very important for um, small member states, where we have [00:41:00] objective difficulties when it comes to implementing effective measures on coexistence. This also allows producers and consumers to, uh, be. To have a level playing field vis a vis other countries imported products. Because in other countries the conditions are more favorable. One point of this proposal, where we still have our concerns, has to do with the possible impact of patenting on plants that will be used for food production. We hope that the results of this long awaited impact study, the impact assessment, will highlight that this patent will not mean that our farming will be in a non privileged position, and there will be no oligopolies or monopolies on the market. We will be constructive in an effort to find adequate wording on this point. In closing, I would like to repeat that Cyprus [00:42:00] looks favourably at the possibility to find as soon as possible a final agreement on this important dossier. Thank you.”
  New Genomic Techniques
• “Thank you very much. And this brings us to the end of our exchange of views. You have highlighted the need to tackle challenges such as the exponential rise of artificial intelligence, the accelerated climate change, increasing geopolitical tensions as well as antidemocratic movements. Some of the priorities that you've mentioned are safeguarding artistic freedom, improving the working conditions of artists, the mainstreaming culture in other policy areas, promoting cultural and linguistic diversity and promoting access to culture for all, facilitating cross border mobility and culture, enhancing health and well-being through culture, safeguarding, protecting and promoting cultural heritage, including during crisis as well as a strategic call integration of culture in the EU external actions. You highlighted that, more focus should be given on the visibility and follow-up of actions included in the work plan, both at national and European level. I also heard many of you, including the commissioner, of course, who mentioned the culture compass for Europe as a strategic framework that can inspire and guide actions for, the next work plan. Thank you all once again for this, very constructive and inspiring debate. I wish our Irish friends, the best of luck in delivering on a robust future proof and fit for purpose work plan for the next 3 years. So now let me conclude this agenda item saying that the council has held an exchange of views based on the presidency steering note, as this was set out in document 83 eleventwenty 6. We're now gonna look at the final 3, points of today's agenda under AOB. The first 1 has been tabled by Poland, and it's on the roundtable, of culture ministers within the international conference for the reconstruction of Ukraine on the June in Gdansk in Poland. Reconstruction of Ukraine's cultural sector.”
  EU and national cultural identities
• “However, if we maintain this level of ambition and commitment, and this is what the Commissioner also said in the beginning, I'm confident that this process will bring us closer to convergence on the most critical, outstanding issues you raised today. As soon as possible and enable tangible progress in the negotiations. Work will continue, of course, at technical level, taking fully into account the political steer provided today. This week, let me say that we finalized the First Presidency compromise text on the Horizon Europe package, on which, of course, following this discussion and the political guidelines, we expect more technical comments. The presidency. Let me say this is obliged to remain fully committed to achieving a partial general approach by the end of this term, and we will continue to do so. We count on your continued cooperation and constructive spirit as we move into the next phase of negotiations on this crucial file for Europe's research and innovation landscape. Thank you for a substantive, constructive and forward looking exchange. ***How to ensure Research and Innovation priority setting mechanism and decision process”
  EU competences on space policy
• “09:00 – 16:12:42): On the legislative proposals we have been working on, I welcome mister Rodrigo D'Agosta. Welcome the executive director of the EU Space Program Agency, EUSPA, who will be with us for the rest of our meeting. In addition to the EU Space Act that we discussed earlier, we advanced work on 2 files, the space part of the European Competitiveness Fund and the proposal for a regulation establishing the EU agency for space services, nicknamed EUSPA. First, on ECF, we followed the work initiated under the Danish presidency. The ECF will succeed the current space program. Through the discussions and following comments from your delegations, the Cyprus presidency has sought to add more details in the text provided in the commission proposal and overall to strike the right balance between predictability and flexibility. Predictability to ensure continuity, legal certainty, and long term investment confidence while preserving the strength of Europe's flagship space components, Galileo, Echnos, Copernicus, Kovsat Kommenari Square, and flexibility to allow the future EU space program to adapt to emerging technologies, evolving security needs, and a rapidly changing geopolitical environment while preparing the ground for new strategic capabilities, including the Earth observation governmental service. In particular, regarding Earth observation governmental service, we included a stepwise approach, first with pooling and sharing of capabilities, and then subject to a gap analysis, the possibility of creating a new constellation. We consider the space part of ECF as mature enough for a partial general approach at the General Affairs Council on June 16. Second, we worked on the USPA proposal, which aims to establish a self standing founding act for the agency. His objective is to decouple his cooperation of tasks, including security accreditation and service provision from the 7 year MFF cycle while complementing the governance and security aspects of the space chapter of the European Competitiveness Fund. The presidency launched the technical examination immediately after the proposal was tabled by the commission in April. This was important in order to ensure coherence with the parallel negotiations on the ECF, in particular as regards the future task of the agency and the related security provisions. We have recently concluded the article by article examination of the proposal and identified the key issues requiring further work. These include the scope and implications of the agency's expanded mandate, the related governance updates, and the need to safeguard the autonomy and independence of the security accreditation board, which remains a key concern for many member states. This work has helped clarify the main lines of discussion and has paved the way for the incoming Irish presidency to continue seamlessly towards the preparation of a first compromise text. I would like to warmly thank the commission for the support provided during this legislative work. Now I will, turn back to the commissioner for his comments.”
  EU competences on space policy
• “Dear colleagues, this next AOB point is from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Poland, Romania and Slovakia and relates to the impact of the EU ETS on energy intensive industry. Czech Republic. The floor is yours.”
  Carbon leakage support
• “@CHAIR (17:35:09 – 17:35:50): It's really simple, and the objective is really simple and straightforward to proceed as much as possible and hand it over to the Irish presidency at the best possible state in order to take it forward. The commissioner expressed his wish for this to close before for the EU Space Act to close within the year if possible. So that's our objective. Nothing else, to be honest. And we have presented today our the progress on what we did on all legislations so that we are transparent and everybody's aligned with the direction we are taking, I think we are on a convergence path in that respect. Thank you.”
  EU competences on space policy
• “Chairman. Commissioner Cyprus welcomes the ongoing discussions and the progress made on this important regulation. This is a major dossier which [00:21:30] must be discussed further, so that we can agree at a technical, on a technical and political technical, political agreement. It is very important to ensure the coexistence of these of conventional plants, organic plants and this ngt category plants. We thus will respect protection of consumers, and they will have access to all sorts of varieties and all sorts of food. [00:22:00] We need an opt out or a derogation. This is necessary. We have something similar in terms of GMOs as well. In cases where we cannot ensure proper co-existence given to given geographical conditions and particularities that in Member States. Then we are really concerned when it comes to the patent for on plants that will be used for food production. This must be regulated at an EU level. The [00:22:30] identification and assessment of conventional and distinction between conventional and new products must be clear. We need to protect consumers and SMEs, and we wouldn't want SMEs to be involved in legal procedures. We need to protect our natural plant resources and biodiversity and small SMEs overall in the EU. To this end, we [00:23:00] must not hand out patents or that will cover trades that occur naturally, regardless of how they appear. Thank you.”
  New Genomic Techniques
• “So with that, I will now move on to the next item on our agenda. This is a proposal for a council recommendation on a European Union framework for science diplomacy. Just a note that this item will again be taken in public session. The Cyprus Presidency is presenting you the draft recommendation in view of its adoption today. The recommendation replies to a call by the Council, to the Commission and the European External Action Service to develop a European Science Diplomacy agenda.”
  EU foreign policy approach
• “Thank you, Madam Chair. We are promoting the implementation of a comprehensive national Action plan for active ageing that extends Uh, to areas beyond the social employment and includes areas such as education, sport and health. This action plan focuses on the social inclusion and participation of older persons in the labour market and beyond. The aim is to achieve the social inclusion of senior individuals, preventing their social isolation and encourage their participation in lifelong learning. Economic, social and cultural life. Our plan includes tailor made policy responses which, among others, ensure a smooth transition for older people to retirement, financial stability and continued participation in employment. These measures include, among others, the mapping of the participation of older individuals in the labour market, with the goal of designing specific actions to improve employment conditions and incentives. There is expertise of older people that cannot be replaced, and this we take seriously into account. Like several other countries member states, we are promoting the implementation of an incentive scheme for the employment of unemployed individuals over the age of 50. This scheme incorporates active employment policy measures to integrate older unemployed individuals into the labour market, by placing them in subsidised job positions and providing professional training.”
  EU policy on aging workforce and pensions
• “Thank you. Chairman. We want to welcome the Commissioner here among us and thank Latvia and Lithuania for raising this very important issue for all of us. Well, Cyprus has does not have this type of experience. We understand, however, that implementing the margin of tolerance for small species not under quota may give rise to difficulties and disproportionate sanctions. For instance, lack of access to funding for the fishers. So when starting the review, Cyprus had expressed the view that member states should have the option of establishing the proportionate nature of any sanction. So in those cases where, during the implementation of the revised framework for controls, any shortcomings or weaknesses are identified, it's very important to assess those issues and take corrective measures as soon as possible. Thank you very much.”
  Environmental regulation of fisheries
• “I would like to thank Spain for taking the initiative to raise [00:14:30] this important point on fisheries and today's council. Three points. We'd like to raise three points here. Number one, this court ruling confirms that the quotas set at the ministry's council in December 2019 were correct. It also confirms that the council has a margin in terms of taking decisions, the margin of discretion, and this [00:15:00] confirms and ensures institutional balance. Lastly, taking into account the content of this ruling, we would suggest that in the future we should take better into account the assessment of the socio economic pillar while implementing the Common Fisheries Policy, more specifically when it comes to management and regulating mixed fisheries in the Mediterranean. Thank you.”
  Environmental regulation of fisheries
• “Thank you very much, Commissioner. To conclude the discussion on this item, I believe that the Council has taken note of the views expressed by Spain also on behalf of Belgium, France, Latvia, Poland, Portugal and the Czech Republic on the situation regarding the difficulties in implementing the Fisheries Control Regulation, in particular article 14 and the use of the catch electronic system. The Council also took note of the comments made by the delegations and the Commissioner. ***West Med”
  Environmental regulation of fisheries
• “I think we can all agree that this proposal is a key priority and fundamental for the future direction of the automotive sector and for creating a stable and predictable investment framework. The proposal comes at a crucial time for our European automotive industry, a key sector for our competitiveness, innovative edge and for jobs in manufacturing and beyond. The industry faces a number of challenges to its competitiveness, both domestically and globally. At the same time, we are facing a situation where reductions in emissions from the road transport sector are happening at a rather slow pace across the union. Also, due to increased demand for mobility, currently, emissions from passenger cars and vans account for around one fifth of total emissions in the EU. The commission's proposal for amending the carbon dioxide standards follows from a series of high level dialogues between the Commission and the industry. The automotive. The Automotive Action Plan from last year, and not least, discussions among our leaders calling for advancing the revision of the carbon dioxide standards. Together with the other initiatives in the automotive package from December last year. The proposal aims both at strengthening the competitiveness of the European automotive industry while pursuing the ambitious path towards zero emissions mobility. While proposing to lower the 2035 target to 90%, it maintains the objective of climate neutrality by requiring that the remaining emissions of 10% shall be compensated with a number of flexibilities.”
  Road transport environmental policy · 2035 ICE phase-out: strict zero-emission target vs. flexibility for carmakers
• “Thank you very much, Maria, and a very good afternoon to everyone. Thank you for joining us, today and for your overall engagement and reporting during the Cyprus presidency as well. Today, the Cyprus presidency has delivered on a key priority, advancing the negotiations on the long term budget of the European Union, the next multi annual financial framework, delivering a mature, balanced, revised negotiating box with figures. When Cyprus assumed the presidency of the council, we were well aware that these negotiations would be 1 of our most challenging and demanding tasks. And that is why over the past months and since day 1 of our presidency, we have worked intensively with transparency and inclusively with all member states, both within the council and through extensive and continuous bilateral engagement both at the technical and the political level as true honest brokers. The positions in the council have been strong and often opposing. That was a given from the very beginning. And yet, we all agree that this budget needs to allow our union to deliver on its strategic priorities from competitiveness, defense and security, and continuing to support long term investment policies as well as our responsibility to repay EU debt. Against this backdrop, our task as presidency was crystal clear, to build a balanced compromise that all member states could find something in it and which could represent the council as a whole and 1 that can keep everyone around the table. And that is what we believe that we deliver today. We are presenting a mature negotiating box with concrete figures, and these are the 1st figures in this new MFF with an architecture that maintains ambition together with flexibility. It is a negotiating box which is encompassing in its approach where the priorities are shared and serve a single purpose, how to make our union stronger, more resilient, and more autonomous in the current geopolitical environment. Allow me a few words on our approach. The approach followed the principles that we're applying in all strands of work under our presidency. We work diligently, intensively, and with strong focus, with speed, while upholding the quality of our work and ensuring that we reflect with respect the positions of all member states and with transparency, a principle which is also reflected in our decision to make the negotiating box a public document from the outset. Now when it comes to the content of the negotiating box, let me stand on a few important elements that the presidency has presented today. 1st, we propose a moderate cut of 2%. Our cut is the compromise that addresses all voices in the council. We have heard strong voices calling for a more ambitious budget, and at the same time, we have heard closely at the strong voices calling for significant cuts. As a compromise, the presidency has applied an unequal cut across all headings. 2nd, modernization is at the heart of our approach, and that is why we have upheld the architecture of the proposed reformed budget and the overall balance amongst the headings. At the same time, the revised negotiating box addresses the concerns of member states with a GNI less than 90% of the EU average. This was a gap in treaty based policies that we address while preserving the ambition in all our priorities and while covering this from within the heading, within heading 1. Allow me to close by saying this. What we have presented today is a decisive step for the negotiations ahead, a necessary step in order to meet our goal of reaching a timely agreement by the end of 20 26. That is a shared responsibility of all member states guided by the mandate that we have received from our leaders. Each member state brings its own priorities, concerns, and positions. All are respected. The negotiating box that we are presenting today, hand in hand with the work that we have been doing on the sectoral files, the NRPP, the ECF, and Global Europe, that this work that has delivered matured and balanced text that are now on the table, this can build the momentum needed and support the work of the upcoming presidency towards an agreement that will ensure uninterrupted EU funding from January 2028. Prior to the questions, let me also take this opportunity to thank the team of the permanent representation. I have the permanent representative here with me, an exceptional technical team that has worked intensively since day 1 for this important deliverable of the Cyprus presidency, for this important deliverable for our European Union. Thank you.”
  Size of EU budget
• “Dear Magnus, I would like to thank the presidency and the Commission for their efforts in steering this important topic. Regarding the first question, Cyprus remains fully committed to achieving good environmental status and has been an active supporter of ocean governance, being among the first EU member states to ratify the agreement and contributing actively under the Barcelona Convention and the Gfcm. However, the path to Greece remains challenging, especially in semi-enclosed and highly pressured basins such as the Mediterranean in the Eastern Mediterranean. Cumulative impacts from climate change, marine litter, overexploitation and invasive alien species continue to threaten biodiversity and ecosystem balance. The region's rapid warming, 20% faster than the global average, further aggravates these pressures. Despite progress under the Msfd and regional frameworks, data comparative comparability and coherence in monitoring among member states remain limited. Smaller member states, in particular, face difficulties in maintaining long term, high resolution monitoring and meeting complex reporting obligations. To overcome these obstacles, we need stronger regional cooperation through existing mechanisms like the Barcelona Convention and Gfcm. Better land sea policy integration, targeted capacity building for smaller member states, and greater use of innovative monitoring tools such as satellite and automated observation systems.”
  Nature protection and restoration in the EU
• “Thank you very much, Commissioner. I can conclude that the council took note of the information. Information provided by Germany on the need for clear improvement and simplification of union fisheries legislation, in particular of the draft weighing provisions. The council also took note of the comments made by the delegations at this point. We have come to the end of the public session and I would like to ask the technicians to switch off the cameras.”
  Environmental regulation of fisheries
• “Dear colleagues, we are now back on public public session for the last item under Obi, which concerns the need for a clear improvement and simplification of union fisheries legislation, in particular the draft, uh, weighing provisions. Uh, you have received the relevant note which you can find in document 78 2026. I would like therefore, to invite Germany to briefly present this point. Alois, you have the floor.”
  Environmental regulation of fisheries
• “@CHAIR (18:38:17 – 18:39:36): Yes. If I may, chip in just to, add to what Magnum said. Of course, I'd like to reiterate that all member states agree that we should prolong the, temporary protection, afforded to to Ukrainians. And, of course, many member states are open to, to discussion. They'll in in order to perhaps, if we decide to to change the scope of the, the protection, under some conditions, of course. So, there were some concerns. We need to, establish to ensure that there will be safeguards, in order not to deal with additional problems when it comes to the change of scope. But in general, I think there was, unanimity in supporting Ukraine, and, I think that will, reach, an agreement, for the benefit of the Ukrainian people and, of course, a solution that, will not, accept pressure on, on member states hosting Ukrainians. Thank you. Thank you, minister. I will now move, to the journalists who have joined us online. Can we have Irini, please?”
  Asylum & border control
• “Thanks to Portugal for this text. Like other delegations, we recognize the importance of technology such as drones for sustainable use of plant protection products for health and environmental reasons. We need to look at a risk analysis and assessment to ensure that use is safe. Safe and targeted. Use of drones may lead to a reduction in the volume of plant health products used to the benefit of the agriculture sector, agricultural sector, the environment and society. Thank you.”
  Digital and precision farming
• “Can proceed. This item has been raised by Slovenia. Information from Slovenia supported by Austria, Belgium, Germany and Malta, and it concerns animal welfare. The relevant information is contained in document 54 6126. I will now give the floor to Slovenia to present, uh, this issue. Dear Massa, you have the floor.”
  EU requirements on animal welfare for farmers
• “Thank you, Jorge, for for that question. Indeed, there were red lines while we work on what is a tight deadline to strike a deal. And that why that's that is why, that is reflected in our working methodology during the presidency. That called truly for increased, engagement, with member states, with for intensive, discussions as presidency both at the technical and the political level, which we did throughout. And it was a very important step to be able to put figures on the table, that is 1, to start, talking about that as well, and making, the bridge between the positions, the figures, but also at the same time, the important negotiations and very productive negotiations that have taken place on the 3 sectoral files, the NRPP, the ECF, and, and Global Europe. We believe that, what we have put on the table follows a balanced approach, a balanced compromise that is a basis for negotiation. The we we have months of negotiations, ahead of us. We had red lines on a number of areas, whether that concerns the element of excellence, for for competitiveness, other member states that strongly supported safeguards, for broad access. It was certainly a very delicate balancing act, and we steered this process. And what I can say I'm confident it is that we truly do did it in a very inclusive manner, very sensitive to the positions of all member states to the realities of each, member states in order to bring us to the stage now to put on the table not ranges, not indicative figures. We have figures on the negotiating box. And let me conclude with that. We still have 19 days during our presidency. We will continue working intensively, inclusively as honest brokers in a results oriented manner until the very last day of our presidency. We will work also on partial general approaches on, the 3, sectoral files, and we will continue supporting the upcoming Irish presidency to deliver on our collective goal for an agreement on the MFF, which is, as I stressed, a shared responsibility. Thank you.”
  Size of EU budget
• “@CHAIR (17:34:40 – 17:35:08): Because in the past months, a commission presented the European Union Space Program Agency Regulation and also the mobile satellite service regulation. Since you still have 1 month until the end of the presidency, Do you have, any particular objective, before before closing, also on the EU Space Act, if ever you have any objective? Thank you very much.”
  EU competences on space policy
• “@CHAIR (17:12:54 – 17:13:29): Good afternoon, and welcome, to the press conference, covering the second half of today's Compet Council with a focus on space. We are joined here, by our deputy minister of research innovation and digital policy, Nicodemus Damiano, and the commissioner for defense space and space, Andreas Kubulius. I now give the floor to minister Damiano, who will present the main results and main discussions, from the second half of the day. Minister, the floor is yours.”
  EU competences on space policy
• “12:36 – 16:17:15): See any other business items. First, AOB concerns three current legislative proposals related to digital topics, but which are not handled under the remit of the TT Telecommunications Council. First, I would like to focus on the digital omnibus package, which was proposed by the commission on November 19. The aim of this package, of course, is to simplify existing rules on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data, and GDPR. In particular, the Digital Omnibus aims to achieve a more efficient implementation of the AI act, a more innovation-friendly privacy framework, modernized cookie rules, simplified cybersecurity reporting, and improved access to data. There are two legislative proposals, as you know, one with the GDPR, cookies, data, and cyber, and another on AI. We have treated both with utmost priority. Some initial greater focus was placed on the digital omnibus on AI given its more urgent time frames. On the 18th or rather the 13th, I think it is, of March, we secured a strong negotiating mandate, which was followed, as you know, with what proved to be demanding negotiations with the European Parliament, which concluded with a political deal on May 6 on the AI omnibus. At the same time, the deal delivered some important simplification measures for the AI act without compromising their very high level of protection of health, safety, and fundamental rights. The text includes new provisions related to the banning of AI systems used to create nonconsensual, sexually explicit content or child sexual abuse material. Let me just say here that, moving on with the simplification agenda, it is important to find ways to be more agile in terms of a demanding need for additional simplification efforts as we move along. This cannot be a once-off exercise. A couple of words on the second proposal from the omnibus, digital omnibus package, which covers GDPR, again, cookies, data, and cyber. This is still under discussion within the council. The text has been thoroughly revised taking into account the concerns raised by the delegations at working party level, in particular with regards to such topics as the definition of personal data in the GDPR and the single entry point for reporting of cyber incidents. Yesterday, the president also requested guidance from Corre Bear on three outstanding issues. Finally, let me brief you on the third legislative proposal under this AOB point, namely the proposal for the European Competitiveness Fund, our centralized financial instrument proposed for the period 2028 to 2034. The proposal aims to streamline 14 existing programs under a single rule book to support critical technologies and scale up businesses. It includes a chapter on digital leadership, which is dedicated to emerging technologies, semiconductors, and digital infrastructure that is planned to replace the existing Digital Europe program. The SAIPUS presidency has again treated the proposal for the European Competitiveness Fund with utmost priority. Like all the other parts of the proposal, the chapter on digital leadership has been thoroughly revised to reflect the concerns raised by the delegations, in particular, in relation to the level of detail on the key technologies to be covered, the treatment of cybersecurity, and the approach to funding for digital skills. On May 29, Correbert examined the entire compromise text with a view to securing a partial general approach by the General Affairs Council on June 16 with no issues raised on the digital leadership chapter. This concludes my update on the current legislative actions related to digital files that are being handled by other council formations. I will now turn to the commission in case there's any comments on that. Please, Hena.”
  Artificial Intelligence · GDPR
• “At the same time, creating vibrant rural areas with a fair standard of living is a prerequisite for keeping the countryside attractive as a place to live, work and invest. The role of the agricultural sector is undoubtedly multifaceted. However, its primary mission remains food production the production of safe, high quality food that ensures food security in the European Union. Our presidency's priorities include promoting policy discussions on creating a sustainable and competitive agriculture sector that can ensure the uninterrupted production of high quality food in sufficient quantities and at affordable prices for consumers, reducing dependence on imports and the strategic autonomy of the European Union through dialogue, which, as you know, has already started on 7th of January with the political meeting between the ministers of the member States and the European Commission and the European Parliament, where we seek to create the conditions necessary for resilient external trade with third countries based on international trade rules and ensuring a level playing field for all European farmers. The EU's Common Market is one of the cornerstones of European economic integration. 27 different national markets have now become a single market with multiple Challenges. Uh, the the Cyprus presidency will attempt to address these challenges through discussions and the evaluation of legislation on unfair commercial practices, simplifying legislation, strengthening the position of farmers in the Common Market supply chain, and as well as providing early warning for market disruptions as some of the initiatives that will be promoted under the Cyprus presidency on specific issues.”
  EU policy on farmer–buyer relations in the agri-food supply chain
• “03:20 – 17:03:44): We have significantly engaged into inter institutional negotiations with a total of 8 technical meetings with the parliament. This allowed us to come closer on a number of issues, in particular, related to the organization of the transport of indivisible loads, the displaying of an EU label for longer vehicles, and to further facilitate the use of European modular systems, also when crossing borders between countries that allow for the use of EMS. We plan to confirm the outcome of this work in a trial log on June 11. This will be a step closer to a final agreement. With regards to the targeted amendment of directive 1 9 9 9 slash 62 slash e c on the euro vignette, the presidency received a mandate for negotiations in March. Parliament adopted its negotiation poll position in May. The institutions will meet for trial log on June 30 following technical work which is ongoing. The proposal is important as it provides for regulatory alignment of common rules on vehicle tolling with environmental and climate rules. Although the positions of the institutions are far apart, we will try until the very end of our presidency to find an agreement. May I give the floor to the commission?”
  Road transport environmental policy
• “This could be operationalized with clear participation rules. The blurring of civilian and defence barriers demands greater caution in international cooperation initiatives, and thus applying the principle as open as possible, as close as necessary, highlighted by the Commissioner as well to safeguard critical assets and strategic knowhow. Finally, regarding the support for these projects in the next framework programme, including dual use research as a standard element requires assessing how it affects the programme's Participation rules and overall execution. Fp ten should establish a dedicated pipeline for dual use projects with security screening and export control compliant IP terms that do not affect the civilian pipeline. The dual. The due diligence required for the selection and funding of dual use projects must avoid excessive administrative burden, and I think this was mentioned by Germany as well. Key projects should access priority technology infrastructures with balanced geographic coverage across member states, coupled with dual use and defence capacity building for all current 15 widening member states. To sum up, Cyprus supports targeted, accountable, dual use funding that builds resilience while enabling third country country participation where and as appropriate. Thank you.”
  EU competences on defence
• “@CHAIR (18:02:53 – 18:08:54): Good afternoon. We have just concluded the second day of a very productive EYCS council focused on culture and sport, and I am pleased to share the key outcomes of today. I would like to thank executive vice president, Hena Bir Kunen, and commissioner, Glenn McAlev, for their contributions and cooperation. Today's discussions reaffirmed the important role that culture and sport play in strengthening our European communities and values. For Cyprus' presidency, culture has a strategic importance in safeguarding the values on which the European Union is founded. The past 2 days have been about delivering on the key commitments of the Cyprus presidency. From the beginning of our presidency, our objective was clear, to advance the key funding programs under the remit of the EYCS Council, including Erasmus plus and our EU, while also delivering other initiatives that move the European agenda on education, culture, culture, youth, and sport forward. The agreement we reached on our IU today is an important step toward forward for Europe's cultural and creative sectors, media, and the civil society, especially at a time when our democracies are facing increasing pressure and uncertainty. Our IU is about investing in European people, artists, journalists, creators, cultural organizations, civil society actors, and citizens who help keep our societies creative, pluralistic, and connected. Their work and contributions are essential pillars of democratic resilience, social cohesion, and citizens participation. Through our IU, Europe strengthens its capacity to preserve our values, identity, and creativity, and also to project them in a rapidly changing world while reinforcing the creative potential of Europe and fostering circulation of a diversity of cultural expression and heritage. In fact, the partial general approach on Agora EU provides a strong foundation for the next phase of work and brings us closer to building a more resilient, democratic, and culturally vibrant Europe. The discussion we held today on the future of the EU work plan for culture 20 27, 20 30 offered a timely and constructive opportunity to reflect together on the direction of European cultural policy in the years ahead. It was a vital preparatory step to facilitate the preparation and adoption of the work plan by the end of this year. The exchange confirmed that culture has an essential role to play in strengthening Europe's shared sense of identity. The next work plan has the potential to address key challenges affecting the cultural and creative sectors, including the rise of artificial intelligence, climate change, the protection of artistic freedom, and the resilience of cultural ecosystems. This work is, of course, complementary to culture compass initiative, which sets a strategic framework that can help guide the future of European cultural action while preserving the flexibility needed to adapt the new developments. We aim for the completion of the negotiations and the signature of the joint declaration Europe for culture, culture for Europe under the Cyprus presidency in June 2026. Today, ministers also approved council conclusions on sport tourism as a contributor to sustainable development, another important achievement for the Cyprus presidency and the first council conclusions specifically dedicated to the link between sport and tourism. This is a highly relevant topic for Europe. These conclusions promote a more sustainable and community based approach to sport tourism, 1 that supports local economies, encourages active mobility, and creates quality jobs. Today's discussions also offered an important opportunity to place mental health firmly on the European sport agenda and to encourage a broader shift towards more sustainable human centered sports systems. Mental health in sport can no longer be viewed only through the lens of individual resilience. It requires a more holistic approach addressing the matter through sport systems. It is important to ensure more preventive, inclusive, and cross sectoral approaches, including better safeguarding structures, education, and awareness, support during career transitions, and stronger cooperation between sport, health, and education policies. The 2 day council we concluded today was a reflection of the Cyprus presidency's contribution to a more human centered, inclusive, creative, and resilient Europe. I am pleased to see that the Cyprus presidency in its term moved the EU agenda forward with a vision of investing in people, strengthening social cohesion, promoting well-being, and safeguarding the democratic values, diversity, and identities that unite our European communities. Thank you very much. Thank you, minister. I will now give the floor to the to the commissioner. Commissioner, the floor is yours.”
  EU and national cultural identities
• “First of all, high quality, safe products. Second, promoting sustainable farming methods. And third, job creation and keeping farmers in rural areas. This will contribute towards a more sustainable growth for the sector. We have some reservations when it comes to derogations and competition rules for non-organized groups. This might weaken the importance and the attractiveness of producer organisations. In certain cases, we're equally concerned about the provisions for mandatory written contracts and introduction of a mediation mechanism. This would lead to increased administrative burden. In our view, we want to emphasize the need to provide for a longer transitional period. This will allow us to set up the necessary implementation mechanisms. In this context, we intend to take an active role in the discussions at expert level. Our aim is to get the best possible results, including all the necessary amendments based on these proposals. Our aim is to define a legislative framework that will reflect modern needs without excessive administrative burden. A stronger position for farmers in the food supply chain with a fair and equitable revenue for producers. Thank you.”
  EU policy on farmer–buyer relations in the agri-food supply chain
• “Thank you chairman. Cyprus shares some of the concerns expressed in this document submitted by Italy. It is particularly important to highlight and further enhance the role of farmers in terms of food security, biodiversity and the sustainable management of the environment. The social fabric in rural areas [00:11:30] and the economy. Overall, agriculture is facing multiple challenges and must also meet very demanding and ambitious requirements for protection of the environment set at EU level. This means that we must seek solutions and provide adequate funding that will balance the economic and social costs in this direction. We support the need to record ways in which environmental [00:12:00] policies impact the rural areas and food sufficiency in the EU. Thank you.”
  Agriculture (green)
• “Castle preparatory bodies. Dear colleagues, I would like to thank you for your statements and your support. Please let me express my gratitude to all of you for achieving this common goal. I am sure that these conclusions will be an important source of inspiration for the Commission in the preparation of the upcoming tourism strategy. We can now conclude that the Council has adopted the conclusions on the building a Sustainable and competitive tourism for the future, as set out in document 1965/26. Thank you.”
  Climate efforts
• “51:28 – 16:51:47): Thank you. And I conclude that the council was informed about the key takeaways from the exchange of views on the protection of minors online held at the informal meeting of telecommunications ministers in Ecosia back in April. The colleagues”
  Privacy & detection of online child abuse
• “I will now move on to the next AOB item, the last to be held in public session. This is the protection of minors online. The main reason this is on the agenda is exactly to maintain the momentum on this very important matter. The European Council has repeatedly stressed how crucial it is to protect children and young adults in the digital ecosystem. We are pleased to see ourselves as well that there is continuous attention at the highest political level, which I saw in the previous item as well, and consistency in the work of the council of the European Union on this important matter. The Cyprus presidency has actively focused on progressing our discussions on the protection of minors online by driving cross-sector coordination across relevant council working parties. This work contributed to delivering key policy outcomes, including council conclusions and policy notes in other council formations reflecting the cross-cutting nature of online child protection. The presidency worked to further strengthen political and technical engagement on the issue by facilitating targeted discussions at ministerial and working party level, raising awareness through dedicated conferences and workshops, supporting progress on related legislative files, and promoting EU-wide cooperation on issues such as age verification, online safety, and child well-being as was just mentioned by the executive vice president. It is against this background that we also allowed for the exchange of views at the informal meeting in Ecosia in April with a focus on exploring possible approaches to strengthening the protection of minors within the overall digital ecosystem and on the potential added value of enhanced coordination at EU level. On the same day, the European Commission adopted a recommendation on establishing a common framework for EU-wide age verification technologies, which we think is a very valid and sound solution on the technical front. From our exchange, it became clear that there is broad interest in exploring coordinated solutions at EU level for the appropriate age thresholds, effective legislative enforcement, and common technical solutions for age verification. That's where most of the discussion pointed to. At the same time, it is clear that there is scope for actions at national level. There are great examples of what individual member states are doing in terms of proactive steps, in particular literacy, education, and capacity for our youth to navigate the digital online world with a sense of urgency highlighted throughout the discussions. To conclude, the presidency believes that the elements which emerged during the exchange of views can usefully contribute to future actions and discussions at union level, and most importantly, on maintaining the momentum of our coordinated focus on this important and admittedly complex matter, although it is clear that we need to now move with practical actions the soonest. At this point, I would like to again turn to the commission in case of additional comments on this matter.”
  Safety features & content control for child protection online
• “Now to Greek. So if you'd like to, use your headphones for the rest of the council. Thank you very much. In accordance with the applicable rules, we will now continue in an open session. Let me start with the first item on the agenda of the culture, audiovisual and media session and, namely the regulation on Agora EU. Dear colleagues, in these turbulent times that we're going through, it is crucial to ensure that culture, media, and civil society receive enough support, so that they can fulfill their mission to contribute to the resilience of our European democracies. When we honor and embrace our culture and shared values and by nurturing creativity and free debate and by encouraging citizens' participation and engagement, not only we enrich the European culture and linguistic diversity, but also strengthen our democracy in the face of the multiple challenges brought about by changing world. The text that you have in front of you today aims to embody that message, integrating into the commission's proposal carefully balanced and well thought through amendments that reflect views and sensitivities of all member states.”
  EU and national cultural identities
• “Dear colleagues, let us now turn to the next AOB item, which is an information point from the commission about the EU's large scale cross border test bed initiative for autonomous vehicles. This item is being discussed in public session. I give the floor to the commissioner to present us this information point.”
  Road transport environmental policy
• “25:54 – 16:26:23): Thank you all. I can now conclude that the council took note of the information provided by the presidency on these legislative proposals. Thank you. Now we move on to another AOB item requested by France on the International Space Summit. We will discuss this item again in public session so the cameras stay on. France, please, the floor is yours.”
  EU competences on space policy
• “Thank you, President. Commissioner. We share some of the concerns raised by Austria. Thank you for this initiative. We support every effort to ensure exports from Ukraine, a very important country in terms of global food security. At the same time, we must not cause distortions to the EU market. [00:13:30] We must follow the situation closely. No one is questioning the goals of the European Green Deal and how it contributes to our transition to more sustainable food systems. However, we must make sure that these new requirements would not jeopardise our production and food security. We need to find solutions that will balance the social and economic cost of implementation, and will bring about environmental benefits. We need a regulatory framework that will help us comprehensively [00:14:00] solve the problems in this sector. We welcome this Commission proposal to hold a strategic debate about the future of the of agriculture in the EU, with the participation of all stakeholders. Thank you.”
  Agricultural trade: Ukraine imports
• “Thank you chairman. We too would like to thank the presidency for the work carried out so far. And the fact that the EPP has not voted in favor of this proposal does not mean that we shouldn't continue negotiations [00:02:00] here on the basis of the compromise proposal. Of course, as other colleagues have said, there are still further concerns and some provisions must be further simplified. We have raised such concerns as regards possible impacts on the viability of agricultural production. If we impose such a reduction in the use of pdps, we need a realistic approach which will which will protect food production and sustainability in agriculture. We [00:02:30] need to provide more flexibility to Member States and take into account the conditions and possibilities of every member state. The agricultural structure of the holdings, structure and the availability of alternative solutions must also be taken into account. We have also expressed concerns on sensitive areas. Thank you very much, presidency, for taking our concerns into account in the compromise text. Lastly, we believe that in order to [00:03:00] achieve the, uh, targets for. A reduced use of PGP. We could also, uh, work under the existing legislative framework, taking into account national specificities. Thank you”
  Reduction targets for pesticides
• “Thank you, Umberna. Good afternoon. I would like to start by thanking commissioner Ditti Costas, my fellow ministers, and their cabinets for their constructive engagement and valuable contributions. I also wish to express my sincere appreciation to the teams in Brussels and Cyprus whose dedication, professionalism, and hard work have been instrumental in delivering the many achievements of the Cyprus presidency. It has been an honor to work with all of you. I will briefly now summarize the key outcomes of today's council related to shipping topics. Throughout our presidency, we focused on strengthening Europe's competitiveness, resilience, sustainability, and strategic autonomy in the maritime sector. Past months demonstrated once again that with the growing geopolitical uncertainty and pressure on global supply chains, a strong merchant fleet is indispensable to Europe's security, prosperity, and economic resilience. Maritime transport and industry are key enablers of our strategic autonomy. Allow me also to highlight an important initiative of Cyprus presidency, the Levkosi and declaration on enhancing seafarers' education and training and promoting equal participation of women in shipping industry, which was adopted in Cyprus in April by all member state. And it is acknowledged by the conclusions that the council adopted today. The declaration places people at the heart of maritime policy while reflecting our commitment to a competitive, sustainable, and socially responsible future for European shipping. It sends a clear message that the success of our maritime sector ultimately depends on investing in its most valuable asset, its people. Today, we approved council conclusions on the EU maritime industrial strategy. With this, we sent a clear political message. Europe must reinforce the maritime industrial base and ensure a level playing field globally. Building on the strategy presented by the commission last March, the conclusions recognize the maritime sector, including manufacturing, shipping, ports, and related services as a key ecosystem that underpins Europe's prosperity, security, connectivity, and decarbonization objectives. The maritime industrial strategy is designed to strengthen Europe's maritime sector in response to growing global competition, geopolitical tensions, unfair trade practices, and the challenges of decarbonization and digital transformation. It aims to reinforce Europe's industrial and technological leadership while reducing strategic dependencies and improving the resilience of maritime supply chains. To achieve these objectives, the conclusions support access to investment and financing in innovation, clean technologies, shipbuilding, shipping, and port infrastructure while helping businesses, particularly small, medium enterprises, modernize and remain competitive. They also highlight the importance of maritime security, quality employment, skills development, and a stronger, more sustainable European economy. They also support the creation of an EU industrial maritime value chains alliance, initiatives such as Shipyards of the Future targeted support for SMEs to facilitate digital transformation and adoption of clean technologies. The conclusions adopted today will pave the way for the effective implementation of the EU industrial maritime strategy, and they reflect the council's firm commitment to this process. Also, today's discussion reaffirmed broad support for maintaining an ambitious but realistic pathway for the decarbonization of maritime transport beyond 2030. In fact, 1 of the findings of the Draghi report on the future of the European competitiveness is that we need to create the right conditions for our industries to transition, especially the hardest to abate sectors such as the maritime sector that are vital for our connectivity and our economy. The upcoming review of the fuel EU maritime regulation will play an important role in providing regulatory certainty, addressing potential difficulties in implementation and encouraging long term investments in sustainable maritime fuels. The close alignment with international developments, particularly within the International Maritime Organization, will ensure an effective and globally coordinated transition as shipping is a global industry. Overall, today's discussions demonstrated a strong and shared commitment to ensuring that Europe's maritime sector remains competitive, resilient, secure, and sustainable. Through continued cooperation among member states, the commission, and industry stakeholders, we can strengthen Europe's maritime leadership and advance our common transport and industrial objectives. Thank you.”
  Decarbonisation of maritime transport
• “Thank you Chairman. I'd like to point out that Cyprus broadly shares the view that there is a need to simplify the various pieces of VU legislation and to target innovation in the various EU policies. It is also important that the new regulation framework be geared to improving the competitiveness of the agricultural sector in response to environmental and climate challenges for the benefit of farmers and consumers. Thank you.”
  Agriculture (green)
• “@CHAIR (18:40:29 – 18:41:35): if well, we must state that already since 2004 since we joined, we have been implemented the core of the Schengen Aki with the support of the commission and European Union overall. We received 120 recommendations. And with the support of the commission and the EU services, we have implemented those recommendations. We believe that by the end of 20 26, we will be ready. The valuation report, which is something we're looking forward to, will vindicate our position we believe and we will fully join the Schengen Area. United Europe means free movement of European citizens all over the EU. And more specifically, this is important for Cyprus located in a very vulnerable but significant region. So Cyprus joining Schengen Area as a full member would mean a significant advantage for the entire EU. Thank you. Thank you, mission. Minister? I addressed you in Greek.”
  Enlargement of Schengen area
• “@CHAIR (16:16:51 – 16:17:03): Thank you, Commissioner. Now before I open the floor to the member states, I would like to invite the Executive Director of the EU Space Program Agency, Dia Rodrigo to take the floor.”
  EU competences on space policy
• “Now time to turn to the exchange of views on the EU work plan for culture for the period 2027 to 2030. Before we start, I would like to warmly welcome Commissioner McAlef, who will stay with us for the rest of the culture session. And now let me say a few words, as an introduction of our debate. As you know, the work plans for culture have been the main vehicle for the council when it comes to setting multi annual priorities in the area of EU cultural policy. While these remain indicative, they provide strategies and tools to member states that help them tackle together the ever evolving challenges faced by the cultural and creative sectors. While the current plan is coming to its finish line, it is now time to start working on the EU work plan for culture for the period 2027 to 2030. We need to build on lessons learned from the implementation of past actions at both national and European level as well as reflect on recent transformations of the cultural landscape, and set priorities for the next 3 years. Your valuable input from today's exchange will feed into the preparatory work that the next presidency is currently undertaking, paving the way for the next work plan to be approved at the November Council. I would now like to invite you to reply to the questions submitted to you in the guidance note, aimed at steering this debate. First of all, what cultural policy topics should be prioritized by the council during the work plan period 2027 to 2030? And what specific council actions would best address these? Second, in what ways can those priorities address current challenges and at the same time be aligned with the cultural compass and other relevant policy frameworks, while at the same time ensuring sufficient flexibility to adapt to changing circumstances. Dear colleagues, after this brief introduction, I would like to give the floor to the commission so that we can start with the exchange of views. Dear Glenn, the floor is yours.”
  EU and national cultural identities
• “@CHAIR (17:34:57 – 17:35:57): Thank you for the question. I don't think that we measure the level of interaction and coordination at member state divided by what each member state is doing together or alone. That's not significant. These are complex matters. These are matters that we have very much accelerated over the past year, year and a half, maybe 2 years. And today's agenda was indicative of the work that's being done at council level. Let's be honest. This is driven by the work done by the commission to drive these discussions. So complex matters, it makes sense for anyone to have opinions, discuss these opinions, and we're happy to engage at council level where we should to decide the way forward. This is still early days on the text of our energy package and a very important package, and I'm sure we'll have meaningful discussions during the 3 weeks that we have left, but also during the Irish presidency as well.”
  Energy (green transition)
• “Thank you. Chairman. We support this French document. We believe that granting flexibility in terms of implementation of aid for all member States would be very helpful if we want to ensure biodiversity, but [00:12:30] also food production. We need further flexibility and derogations for the member states and put in better use our agricultural land. Our goal must be to counterbalance extreme weather conditions and the impact of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, and ensure food security. We invite the Commission to examine as soon as possible, the possibilities of putting in place this French proposal. We must create conditions that will allow [00:13:00] our farmers to effectively tackle all these multiple challenges, owing to the serious crisis on the market. Thank you.”
  Agriculture (green)
• “@CHAIR (18:17:00 – 18:17:14): Just to add that in the discussion today, it was quite clear that member states condemned this decision, and we had this discussion clearly condemning this decision by the Biennale.”
  LGBTIQ+