Cyprus will formally launch its presidency of the Council of the European Union on Wednesday evening, with an official opening ceremony in Nicosia attended by European leaders, senior EU officials and regional partners.
The ceremony will take place at the Cyprus Theatre Organisation, where President Nikos Christodoulides will deliver an address outlining Cyprus’ priorities for its six-month term at the helm of the Council. The event will be followed by an official dinner hosted by the President in honour of visiting leaders and institutional heads.
The launch caps a diplomatically dense day for the President of the Republic, who will hold a series of bilateral meetings at the Presidential Palace ahead of the ceremony.
Focus on Ukraine
In the morning, President Christodoulides will meet with the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. The meeting is expected to set an early political tone for Cyprus’ presidency of the Council of the European Union, with Ukraine’s war effort and its European trajectory firmly on the agenda. The bilateral meeting is also expected to touch on sanctions against Russia, reconstruction planning and the role of smaller EU member states in sustaining consensus on Ukraine-related policy.
In the afternoon, the President will meet by with Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum Karim Badawi and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun. Shortly before the opening ceremony, he will also receive the President of the European Council, Antonio Costa.
The Cypriot presidency comes at a time of heightened geopolitical pressure for the EU, with ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, energy security concerns and debates over enlargement, migration and economic governance expected to dominate the Council’s agenda in the coming months.
Cyprus assumes the rotating presidency from January 1, coordinating the work of the Council, chairing ministerial meetings and acting as an intermediary between EU institutions during a politically sensitive period for the Union.