The Ambassador of Cyprus in Vienna, H.E. Andreas Ignatiou, co-hosted along with the Mayor and Governor of Vienna, Dr. Michael Ludwig, an event to mark the beginning of Cyprus‘ Presidency of the Council of the EU.
The event included a concert with songs from the Cypriot composer Marios Tokas, performed by the musicians Loukia Agapiou, Jannis Raptis and Elena Karapatakis.
At the event, the Cypriot Ambassador presented Cyprus‘ political priorities for the current semester which were developed under the motto “An Autonomous Union, Open to the World” and expand around 5 interconnected pillars, namely:
- Security, Defence and Readiness;
- Competitiveness;
- A Union Open to the World;
- A Union of Values that leaves no one behind and
- A long-term budget.
Cyprus assumes the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the second time in its membership history, after 2012. Now, Cyprus aspires to achieve tangible progress in regards to the European integration, bridge differences and emphasize the European values of democracy, International Law, dialogue and cooperation. Cyprus‘ Presidency priorities focus – among several issues – on Europe’s resilience regarding Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the support of Ukraine, enlargement, maritime security, defence, a strengthened EU-NATO, migration, water resilience, competitiveness, energy security, social cohesion, financial autonomy, digital sovereignty. Cyprus will work towards strengthening Europe’s relations with the Southern Neighbourhood, the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League, but also to further deepen EU’s relations with the US and the UK. The New Pact for the Mediterranean is also among Cyprus’s key priorities. The aim is to achieve a more in-depth cooperation with EU’s southern Mediterranean partners.
Text provided by Embassy of Cyprus in Austria
