The Cyprus Forum Brussels – #CY2026EU Presidency Edition, organised by Oxygen for Democracy and held under the auspices of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union, took place in Brussels on 3 February, bringing together senior EU officials, policymakers, business leaders, and civil society representatives for high-level discussions on Europe’s future direction.
The forum’s agenda reflected the core priorities of the Cyprus EU Council Presidency, with a focus on strengthening Europe’s strategic autonomy, boosting competitiveness, investing in people and skills, promoting inclusive and resilient healthcare systems, harnessing the maritime dimension of Europe’s economy, and reaffirming the strategic role of EU enlargement in a shifting geopolitical landscape.
Ambassador Petros Mavrikios, Permanent Representative of Cyprus to the EU, opened the event by emphasising Cyprus’s commitment to acting as an “honest broker” at a pivotal moment for the Union, while underlining the need to build on progress already made and respond effectively to geopolitical tensions, economic transformation, and climate change.
In his keynote address, Minister of Health Neophytos Charalambides stressed that health is a cornerstone of Europe’s resilience and security. “No European citizen should be denied fair and quality health care,” he said, highlighting Cyprus’s intention to promote an EU Action Plan for cardiovascular health, advance key legislative files in the life sciences sector, and support the implementation of the European Health Data Space, with strong emphasis on mental health and inclusiveness.
European Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans Costas Kadis underlined the strategic importance of Europe’s seas for competitiveness, food security, and strategic autonomy. “Cooperation, not disengagement, remains our guiding principle,” he noted, pointing to the European Ocean Pact as a key framework for integrated maritime governance.
Nicolas Kyriakides, Executive President of the Cyprus Forum, said Cyprus views the EU Council Presidency as a political moment to open dialogue at a time of overlapping crises and declining trust. He stressed that Europe becomes stronger through values-based, long-term policymaking, and that the presidency’s focus on investing in people and strengthening strategic autonomy reflects choices about the kind of Europe we want to build.
Throughout the forum, speakers underlined the importance of fostering an autonomous Union that remains open to cooperation and global partnerships. A panel on financing Europe’s competitiveness examined how to translate ambition into delivery, stressing regulatory simplification without deregulation, better coordination between new and existing legislation, and greater mobilisation of private investment alongside targeted public funding. The discussion highlighted that Europe must deepen the Single Market, reduce energy costs, and treat skills as “soft infrastructure” if it is to unlock growth.
A second panel on shaping Europe’s future focused on education, youth, and skills as foundations of long-term competitiveness and democratic resilience. Speakers highlighted demographic change, teacher shortages, and widening skills gaps, calling for sustained investment in resilient education systems, lifelong learning, and inclusive mobility through Erasmus+. The discussion also emphasised that meaningful youth participation must move beyond consultation toward co-creation, ensuring that Europe’s future is shaped with, and not only for, younger generations.
Participants also stressed that enlargement has become an existential issue for the European Union, closely linked to security, credibility, and the Union’s ability to project stability beyond its borders. A dedicated panel on the strategic importance of EU enlargement highlighted enlargement as both a merit-based process and a geostrategic necessity, and as a tool for anchoring reforms, strengthening the rules-based order, and enhancing Europe’s strategic autonomy. Panellists emphasised the need to strike the right balance between compliance and reward, and to back political commitments with credible action.
