Heads of state or government affiliated with the European People’s Party (EPP) have expressed their support for completing the remaining steps towards Cyprus’ full accession to the Schengen area, in a statement issued following the political family’s summit in Brussels on Thursday morning, ahead of the European Council meeting. The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, attended the meeting.
The EPP leaders also commended the efforts of the Cypriot government to resume meaningful negotiations on the Cyprus issue and welcomed the initiative of the UN Secretary-General to convene an enlarged meeting involving all parties concerned.
In their statement, the EPP leaders said that “we offered Turkey a constructive partnership, but we ask it to respect democracy, the rule of law and good-neighbourly relations. We show our full solidarity with Greece and Cyprus in their discussions with Türkiye. We commend the efforts of the Government of Cyprus towards the resumption of meaningful negotiations and welcome the initiative of the UN Secretary-General to convene an enlarged meeting with all parties involved.”
They added that stability and closer cooperation under NATO in the Eastern Mediterranean were of the utmost importance for the EU.
On Schengen, the EPP political family welcomed “the positive outcome of the Commission’s Evaluation Report on Cyprus’ bid to fully join Schengen and the opening of the relevant discussion in the Council”. It also expressed support for “the timely completion of remaining steps, as a set priority for Schengen Cycle 2026-2027”.
On the economy, the EPP leaders called for EU policies to avoid generating additional energy costs and for Member States to make the most of the scope for temporary, targeted and tailored support for households and businesses, within the limits of the economic governance framework and while safeguarding fiscal sustainability.
They also called for stronger European competitiveness, pointing out that the EU is losing 27,000 industrial jobs every month. In this context, they advocated reversing the ban on cars with internal combustion engines, recognising the role of low-carbon and renewable fuels, and reforming environmental regulations. They further called for accelerated efforts to simplify legislation and for a horizontal omnibus package on permitting.
On migration, the EPP said that irregular crossings at the EU’s external borders had fallen by 35% since the beginning of the year, reaching their lowest level since 2021. The leaders attributed this trend to the reforms already under way and called for a stronger Frontex, as well as the use of visas, trade and funding in relations with third countries to address migratory pressure.
On Ukraine, they reiterated their unwavering commitment to supporting the country against Russian aggression, welcoming the agreement to accelerate the disbursement of €45 billion under the EU’s Ukraine Support Loan. They also called for all remaining negotiating clusters with Ukraine to be opened by December 2026, in line with the country’s progress and the merit-based approach.
Finally, the EPP leaders backed concrete efforts to operationalise Article 42(7) of the Treaty on European Union on mutual assistance between Member States, as well as proposals for a European Security Council to improve strategic coordination and crisis response, while respecting Member States’ traditions of neutrality.
