Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament
Last year, millions of Europeans - including thousands of Cypriots - went to the polls with a clear message: they want a Europe that works better, feels safer, and cuts out needless complexity. On 1 January 2026, Cyprus will assume the Council Presidency at a time of shared determination to meet people’s expectations. The European Parliament, as co-legislator, is delivering. And in the next six months, Cyprus - under President Nikos Christodoulides’ leadership - will play a defining role in steering that momentum.
There are many priorities ahead. Among them, strengthening our business environment remains one of the most pressing. If we want our economy to keep moving - for industries to grow and companies to create jobs - then we need to listen to what they are telling us. With Cyprus growing faster than most, and with unemployment at record lows, you already understand what this means. The European Parliament understands that too.
Just last month, we championed major reforms to corporate sustainability and reporting requirements - but that was just the start. More progress must be made on integrating our capital markets, completing our Banking Union, and making sure that rules are effective, proportionate, and simpler to apply. The European Parliament’s guiding principle here is clear: where we can make it easier for our companies to compete, we will. And where we can adapt to new realities, we must.
The same approach should also guide our negotiations on the European Union’s long-term budget, which are expected to start under the Cypriot Presidency. This time, we need a framework that is more strategic in what it prioritises, more responsible in how it spends, and more flexible in how it responds. Seven years on, we are operating in a completely different landscape from when the current budget was agreed upon. And the next budget must take that into account.
Migration is another area that demands coherence, solidarity, and collective effort. The European Union Pact on Migration and Asylum was a necessary step, as was the recent decision that Cyprus will automatically qualify for the ‘Solidarity Pool,’ ensuring support through relocation or financial aid. Now we need to make progress on faster processing of asylum claims, more effective and coordinated returns, and stronger operational links between each other and our partners beyond Europe. The files are on the table. The solutions are already there - and if there is one country that can get all 27 Member States to find an agreement here, Cyprus has everything that it takes.
That is something I say from experience. Having grown up on an island in the Mediterranean, I have always known Cyprus as an honest broker - as a bridge between continents, countries, and people. Cyprus has, proportionally, welcomed one of the highest numbers of Ukrainian refugees. And thanks to its Maritime Corridor, Europe’s aid was able to flow to the Middle East fast, and when it was needed most.
That same spirit will define your Presidency, especially as we navigate today’s geopolitical realities. Cyprus will be in the driving seat - from helping us push for that elusive, yet essential, just and lasting peace in Ukraine, something that your country understands all too well, to advancing merit-based enlargement with Ukraine, Moldova, and the Western Balkans. Because ultimately, Europe needs to take responsibility for its own security. And if we want to strengthen our resilience and give real meaning to Europe’s strategic autonomy, that is what it takes.
Cyprus has already shown its willingness to engage constructively with its partners. On Monday, the leaders of the European Parliament’s political groups and I will meet with President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia to prepare the groundwork for our collaboration. I have no doubt that this Presidency will make a lasting contribution - for Cyprus, and for all of Europe.