Paphos, Cyprus. Cyprus closed the final major event of its six-month presidency of the Council of the European Union on Thursday with a call for islands and coastal communities to be recognised as central to Europe’s future rather than its periphery. Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna made the remarks at a high-level conference in Paphos.
Call for cohesion
In her closing remarks, Raouna said the newly unveiled European strategies for islands and coastal communities reflected a fundamental principle of the European project: cohesion.
She said the strength of the European Union lay in its ability to ensure that no community and no citizen was left behind, adding that this commitment was vital for islands and coastal communities.
Raouna thanked European Commission Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto for his leadership in developing the EU’s first dedicated strategy for islands and Commissioner Costas Kadis for bringing forward the bloc’s first strategy for coastal communities.
She said the two initiatives showed that no European region was left behind and added that cohesion was not merely an economic objective but a collective commitment to shared prosperity, equal opportunities and a stronger, more united Europe.
Reference to Cyprus
Referring to Cyprus as the European Union’s last divided member state under occupation, Raouna said the principle of cohesion carried particular significance for the island republic.
Closing event of presidency
The conference marked the final major event of Cyprus’ six-month presidency of the Council of the EU, which Raouna described as a results-driven presidency conducted with a profound sense of responsibility.
She said Cyprus had acted as an honest broker, with dedication and intense work.
According to Raouna, the presidency had delivered results across a broad range of areas, including security and defence, competitiveness, negotiations on the EU’s next long-term budget, enlargement, energy, migration and social cohesion.
She said the presidency had been guided by the motto “A more autonomous Europe, open to the world”, which she said had become increasingly relevant amid growing geopolitical uncertainty.
