The Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU is coming to a close, with the Deputy Minister in charge providing a review of its work. Speaking from the studio of the Alpha News program, Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna described the endeavor as a successful “national mission” that strengthened Cyprus’s standing as a reliable partner.

“Our priority pillars proved to be timely, as did our central message, which was for a more autonomous Union open to the world. And it was precisely within this framework that we set out to be the Presidency that, through tangible results, could give substance to what had been discussed for years in Brussels at a theoretical levelnamely the European Union’s strategic autonomy, whether it concerns defense and security, competitiveness, energy, and, of course, issues affecting the daily lives of European citizens.”

Despite 2.5 years of planning, the Presidency was confronted with an unforeseen crisis: the drone attack on British bases in Akrotiri.

“When we began our preparations, I vividly recall a meeting we had with the General Secretariat of the Council in Brussels, which supports every member state, and what they told us was this: There is no member state and no Presidency that has not faced a crisis. So from that perspective, it was to be expected that we would face some kind of crisis. Slovenia had the pandemic; another Member State had the Russian invasion of Ukraine; yet another Member State had the migration crisis. And we had made basic preparations for the types of crises that might erupt—a natural disaster, a war.”

“But what determines, I believe, the success of every Member State during every Presidency is the flexibility and adaptability with which it manages to respond, our reflexes and ourselves—and this is what we’re being told from Brussels as well—it has been proven that our reflexes were effective,” he notes.

He points out that no meetings were canceled. Within a week, six ministerial meetings were rescheduled, while the President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs served as a “bridge” in the region, highlighting Cyprus’s role as a pillar of stability.

It cites the practical application of the mutual support clause (Article 42.7) following the crisis with Iran as one of the Presidency’s most significant achievements. Cyprus received immediate support from member states without the formal invocation of the article, a development based on strong bilateral relations, such as the strategic agreement with France.

As she stated, the Presidency succeeded in having the need for an operational support plan included on the agenda of the leaders’ meeting in Cyprus in April.

Ms. Rauna assured that there was no overspending, with costs remaining within the limits of other presidencies, and the total budget for 2024–2026 amounting to 95 million euros. 27 million euros are earmarked for infrastructure that will remain in the country, such as the renovation of the “Filoxenia” Conference Center, which was partially funded by European funds. 68 million euros were allocated for security and the organization of hundreds of meetings.

Although the Secretariat of the Presidency and the Deputy Minister’s term officially expire on July 31, the President of the Republic has decided to maintain the institution. The decision is based on the need for cross-cutting coordination of European issues that affect every aspect of daily life, following the example of other member states.

While fixed-term contract holders will be released from their duties upon the conclusion of the Presidency, the institution will continue to operate in order to build on the results of the past six months.