EU Commissioner responsible for budget, anti-fraud and public administration Piotr Serafin underlined Cyprus' role for consensus during its Presidency in a meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides in Nicosia.
Also speaking during the 4 September meeting, President Christodoulides told the Commissioner that Cyprus will do its utmost for progress on EU budget during its EU Presidency the first half of 2026.
Receiving the Commissioner, in the presence of Deputy Minister for European Affairs, Marilena Raouna, the President said that his portfolio is one of the most important and underlined the importance of his visit to Cyprus, immediately after the submission of the proposal for the budget in July.
He added that Cyprus will do everything to ensure progress on the issue during its Presidency, as well as on other issues of great importance such as migration.
Speaking to the press after the meeting Commissioner Serafin said, among other things, that Cyprus' Presidency will be of crucial importance for achieving consensus among the 27 member states.
He pointed out that Cyprus will be a very popular destination for EU institutions, Heads of State and Ministers of EU states during its Presidency "because it will be here in Nicosia where the agenda of the European Union is going to be set at the beginning of the 2026".
"Cyprus is the first country that I visit after the presentation of this proposal [for the budget]. And again, the Presidency in 2026 will play quite a critical role. It will be for the Presidency of the Council, so for Cyprus, to prepare the basis for compromise among all 27 member states. I declare that the Commission will stand ready to assist the Presidency in this process, and we will do our best to deliver", he noted.
He further noted that when we talk about the long-term budget, it's not just about the presidency because all of our member states have their own interests and their own priorities.
"And for me, it was also an opportunity to hear firsthand the reactions on the Commission's proposal, also on its weaknesses in view of the Presidency, we [will] take it back to Brussels and we'll continue to work", the Commissioner said.
(Sources: CNA, PIO)
