Cyprus presidency closes with call to place islands and coastal regions at the heart of Europe

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. In closing remarks delivered at the high-level conference on islands and coastal communities in Paphos, Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna said the newly unveiled European strategies for islands and coastal communities reflected a fundamental principle of the European project: cohesion. “The strength of our Union lies in its ability to ensure that no community and no citizen is left behind,” she said. “For islands and coastal communities, this commitment is vital.” 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 described the two initiatives as a demonstration that “no European region is left behind”, adding that cohesion was not merely an economic objective but “a collective commitment to shared prosperity, equal opportunities and a stronger, more united Europe”. 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. 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. “We acted as honest brokers, with true dedication and intense work,” she said. 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 argued had become increasingly relevant amid growing geopolitical uncertainty. The deputy minister also highlighted Cyprus’ efforts to place the Mediterranean dimension higher on the European agenda during its presidency. “The Mediterranean is not only our shared sea; it is the Union’s crucial strategic space for economic prosperity, energy security, connectivity, environmental sustainability and geopolitical stability,” she said. She added that Cyprus had worked to ensure that the perspectives and needs of Mediterranean countries were reflected in wider European policymaking and had maintained engagement with neighbouring regions in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. “As an island nation at the crossroads of three continents, Cyprus understands both the challenges and, above all, the opportunities that come with our connection to the sea,” she said. Looking ahead, Raouna expressed confidence that Ireland, which will assume the next EU presidency and is itself an island member state, would continue advancing the agenda for islands and coastal communities. She also paid tribute to the team behind Cyprus’ presidency, thanking officials who organised more than 300 high-level events across the island over the past 181 days. “The results of the Cyprus presidency have proven that islands are not at the periphery – they are at the heart of the European project,” she said. In an emotional conclusion, Raouna said Cyprus had drawn on what she described as the defining characteristics of island communities throughout its presidency. “We harnessed the unrivalled characteristics of islanders, stubbornness, perseverance and resilience through adversity,” she said. “We overcame the waves, knowing that the sea that holds us is bigger than us.”