Nicosia, Cyprus. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said renewed momentum had emerged in efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem and announced that the Commission would appoint a new special representative for Cyprus on Monday.
Following a phone call with United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres, von der Leyen said the European Union was ready to support the UN-led process.
UN-led process
In a social media post on Sunday, von der Leyen said she had held a “good call” with Guterres and saw renewed momentum for a settlement under United Nations auspices and in line with European Union principles, values and legislation.
She said the opportunity should be seized and that she looked forward to progress in the coming months.
EU representative
Von der Leyen said the European Commission stood ready to support the process with the necessary assistance and tools at its disposal. She said a new special representative for Cyprus would be appointed on Monday as the EU increases its involvement in reunification efforts.
The post was issued ahead of an enlarged meeting on Cyprus scheduled to take place in New York this week under UN auspices.
Vacant position
The position has been vacant since March 23, when former European Commissioner for Enlargement Johannes Hahn resigned after being appointed chairman of the General Council of the Austrian National Bank.
Hahn was appointed the Commission’s special envoy for Cyprus in May 2025 as part of efforts to strengthen the European Union’s role in reunification talks.
As of late Sunday, it was unclear how the Commission would formally appoint Hahn’s successor, as the announcement was expected on Monday despite no College of Commissioners meeting being scheduled.