Cyprus Presidency debriefs European Parliament committees on priorities

The Cyprus Presidency of the Council is presenting its priorities to European Parliament committees during a series of hearings held across 26–29 January, ahead of its Presidency term running until the end of June 2026.

• Main announcement/action: The Presidency announced a set of legislative and policy priorities to be advanced during its mandate, including gender equality and combating gender-based violence, culture and the AgoraEU 2028–2034 programme, 2030 consumer agenda, digital sovereignty and telecom modernisation (Digital Networks Act, DNA), energy priorities (interconnections, electricity grids, decarbonisation), migration and the Migration and Asylum Pact, support for Ukraine and defence cooperation, fisheries policy negotiations (CFP) and partnerships with Mauritania and Morocco, and water resilience and circular economy; the Presidency will present and discuss these across committee hearings and aims to deliver a partial general approach on the future Global Europe instrument by June 2026.
• Background and details: Ministers and deputy ministers who presented priorities included Costas Fitiris (Justice and Public Order) on gender equality, Vasiliki Kassianidou (Culture) on the “cultural compass for Europe”, Michael Damianos (Energy, Commerce and Industry) on the 2030 consumer agenda and electricity grids, Vasilis Palmas (Defence) on defence readiness and support for Ukraine, and Maria Panayiotou (Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment) on fisheries and water resilience; MEPs raised questions on budget allocations, enforcement of the Digital Services Act and AI Act, negotiations timelines (e.g., negotiations on adult protection legislation expected to start in March), and clarity on several pending files (customs reform, posting of workers, late payments).