<h6><strong>Juan David Latorre/Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The Ambassador of Cyprus, Michalis Ioannou, presented the “five pillars” of his country’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which began on January 1st under the slogan “For an autonomous Union, open to the world.” These pillars include, among other objectives, promoting trade agreements with India and the United Arab Emirates, strengthening relations with North Africa, the Middle East, and the Gulf countries, implementing the “Pact for the Mediterranean” adopted in Barcelona in November 2025, and the “full implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum.”</strong></h4> “Before we begin, I want to express, on behalf of the Republic of Cyprus, our deepest condolences for the tragic train accident” in Adamuz (Córdoba), which “has left immense sorrow in so many families and throughout the country,” the ambassador stated at the start of the Opening Ceremony of the Cypriot Presidency, which took place this past Monday, January 19, at the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid. “We share in the suffering of the victims, their loved ones, and all those affected by this tragedy. In these difficult times, Cyprus expresses its solidarity and support for Spain,” he added. Before the ceremony began, a minute of silence was observed for the victims of the Adamuz accident. For this same reason, the Secretary of State for the EU, Fernando Sampedro, whose participation had been announced, did not attend the event and sent a message, which the ambassador read, in which he regretted his absence and wished Cyprus “a successful Presidency.” According to the ambassador, “the Cypriot Presidency is taking place during a period marked by intense geopolitical and geoeconomic challenges, challenges that are testing the resilience and cohesion of the European Union.” “Therefore,” he continued, “the Cypriot Presidency will work intensively over the next six months under the motto: ‘For an autonomous Union, open to the world.’ This is the central message and main objective of the Cypriot Presidency, which is structured around five interconnected pillars.” “The first pillar is autonomy through security and defense preparedness,” Ioannou explained. “The concept of security is multidimensional: external and internal, military and political, physical and digital, energy, maritime, water, economic, and democratic,” he continued. “The Russian invasion of Ukraine has highlighted, in the clearest possible terms, the need to strengthen the European security architecture and the Union’s defensive preparedness capabilities. For the next six months, support for Ukraine will remain a top priority for the Cypriot Presidency,” the ambassador affirmed. Furthermore, he continued, “effective migration management and addressing the structural causes driving migration flows is another fundamental aspect of security. In this context, the Cypriot Presidency will prioritize the full implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum.” “The second pillar is autonomy through competitiveness,” Ambassador Ioannou explained. “We cannot speak of strategic autonomy without strengthening the competitiveness of the European Union economy. Therefore, we will place particular emphasis on simplifying procedures, with the aim of reducing the administrative burden and bureaucracy for small and medium-sized enterprises,” he stated. “At the same time, we will promote the strengthening of financial autonomy, as well as digital and energy autonomy, with special attention to the need for affordable and predictable energy prices,” he announced. <strong>Trade agreements with India and the UAE</strong> “The third pillar is an autonomous Union, open to the world, because autonomy does not mean isolation. On the contrary, openness entails active engagement with the world and with all countries, always from a position of strength,” Michalis Ioannou warned. “Therefore, special importance is given to diversifying trade and to trade agreements with countries such as India and the United Arab Emirates, as well as to strengthening the European Union’s international partnerships,” he specified. According to the ambassador, “the recent signing, on January 17, of the Agreement between the European Union and the Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay) marks a historic milestone and constitutes a very positive step forward, fully in line with the philosophy of the Cypriot Presidency of ‘An Open Union’ with an open and robust trade policy.” “At the same time, a strategic priority for our Presidency is strengthening the European Union’s relations with the group of ten partner countries in North Africa and the Middle East, as well as with the Gulf countries,” the ambassador announced. “In this regard,” he emphasized, “the implementation of the new ‘Pact for the Mediterranean,’ between the EU Member States and their partners in the Southern Mediterranean, launched on November 28, 2025, in Barcelona, is a key priority for the Cypriot Presidency.” “Enlargement is also at the heart of the Cypriot Presidency’s priorities,” Michalis Ioannou affirmed. “In this context, our Presidency will strive to achieve further solid progress in the enlargement process for the Western Balkan partners, as well as for Ukraine and Moldova, with each candidate country assessed on its own merits,” he added. The fourth pillar, he continued, “is an autonomous Union of values for all, which leaves no citizen behind,” because “there can be no true autonomy without social cohesion.” In this regard, he explained, “The Cypriot Presidency aims to expand the European footprint on issues that directly affect citizens’ daily lives, such as housing, online child protection, and strengthening the availability of medicines and improving access to them for European citizens.” “The fifth pillar, of crucial importance, concerns the Union’s budget for 2028-2034. This is the most important and complex piece of legislation that the Cypriot Presidency will have to manage,” the ambassador emphasized. “The Union’s budget is the instrument through which the European Union’s strategic priorities and objectives are implemented, and it directly affects all its policies. The motto guiding this priority is: ‘A budget for an autonomous Union,’” he added. “In short, we believe that European autonomy, as well as further deepening of European integration, constitutes the natural evolution of the European project,” Michalis Ioannou insisted. “As the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, pointed out two weeks ago at the opening ceremony in Nicosia, the Cypriot Presidency will work with determination to give new impetus to the European project and contribute substantially to the next step on our shared path: our common endeavor for an autonomous Union, open to the world, which is the best guarantee for a secure future for all citizens of the European Union and for a Europe of peace, security, and cooperation,” he concluded. [caption id="attachment_135096" align="alignnone" width="1920"]<img class="wp-image-135096 size-full" src="https://thediplomatinspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Chipre-embajador-presidencia-2.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" /> Michalis Ioannou outlines the Presidency's priorities.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_135098" align="alignnone" width="1920"]<img class="wp-image-135098 size-full" src="https://thediplomatinspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Chipre-MAN.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" /> The Director of the National Archaeological Museum, Isabel Izquierdo, during the presentation.[/caption] [caption id="attachment_135100" align="alignnone" width="1920"]<img class="wp-image-135100 size-full" src="https://thediplomatinspain.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/Chipre-ceremonia.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" /> The event included a musical performance.[/caption]
