The 2026 Annual General Assembly of the European Writers’ Council will be held in Brussels instead of Larnaca, after what the Cyprus Writers’ Union describes as administrative failure by the Deputy Ministry of Culture to examine a funding request in time.
In an announcement, the Union said it received official notification on 22 February 2026 from the EWC Board and Secretary General Nicole Pfister Fetz that “due to unforeseen administrative circumstances beyond the control of the EWC and the Cyprus Writers’ Union, the 2026 Annual General Assembly will take place on 12–14 June 2026 in Brussels, Belgium, instead of Larnaca.”
The EWC thanked the Cypriot organisation for its efforts and expressed regret for any disruption caused by the change.
Funding request left unanswered
According to the Union, the event had been agreed and prepared for months to take place in Larnaca in June 2026. A fully documented funding application was submitted in early December 2025, following guidance from the Deputy Ministry of Culture.
The Union notes that Deputy Minister of Culture Vasiliki Kassianidou had, in a letter dated May 2025, expressed support for the initiative, a move which, it says, contributed positively to Cyprus securing the hosting rights. In a subsequent meeting in August 2025, she reportedly advised the organisation to apply through the Deputy Ministry’s grant schemes, which it says it did in accordance with procedures.
Despite repeated appeals for the application to be examined or at least for written confirmation of support, which was deemed necessary in order to issue international invitations, no response was received.
Under those conditions, the Union said it could not assume financial responsibility for an event of European scale without institutional guarantees. The EWC subsequently decided to relocate the Assembly to Brussels.
A broader pattern
The Cyprus Writers’ Union argues that the incident is not isolated but part of a broader pattern of administrative dysfunction and delays in the cultural sector.
It refers to serious delays, unclear competencies and lack of coordination, pointing to recent media reports that it says confirm operational difficulties faced by cultural bodies.
“Cyprus is losing an important opportunity for international cultural visibility and meaningful presence on the European literary map,” the statement reads, attributing responsibility not to creators or organisers but to state inaction and lack of institutional consistency.
The Union concludes that it cannot accept what it calls the downgrading of culture through uncertainty and administrative inadequacy, stressing that respect for creators and European institutions requires seriousness, transparency and timely decision-making.