Cabinet approves appointment of Deputy Minister for European Affairs

The government is promoting a bill for the appointment of a Deputy Minister for European Affairs in view of Cyprus assuming the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the first half of 2026.

The announcement was made on Wednesday by Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis after a meeting of the Cabinet chaired by President Nikos Christodoulides.

Letymbiotis said that the Council of Ministers today approved the bill for the appointment of the Deputy Minister for the Presidency, which will be submitted to the House of Representatives for a vote followed by the immediate appointment of the Deputy Minister by a decree of the President of the Republic. The new Deputy Minister will undertake preparations for the Cyprus Presidency of the Council EU.

His term, he said, will begin on a date to be determined by the President of the Republic and will end on July 31, 2026.

The Spokesman noted that the appointment of the Deputy Minister for European Affairs is deemed necessary, as the assumption of the 2nd Cyprus Presidency creates many obligations. He said it requires specific, additional obligations regarding the representation of the Republic of Cyprus at a political level in the General Affairs Council, as well as before the European Parliament.

A Deputy Minister for European Affairs is also necessary to adequately provide information and coordinate the various services of the Republic.

Furthermore, he or she will need to carry out a number of contacts at a political level with representatives of the European Parliament and other EU institutions.

Letymbiotis said that taking into account the experience gained during the first Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2012, the Deputy Minister will have overall political supervision and will exclusively deal with the preparation of the Cypriot Presidency.

The minister’s responsibilities will include, as the Spokesman said, firstly, the political supervision of the Secretariat of the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU in 2026. Secondly, political representation in EU bodies and institutions and conducting contacts with these bodies and institutions.

Thirdly, overall supervision, in cooperation and coordination with the relevant Ministers, to prepare and conduct the Cypriot Presidency. In this context, the minister will be responsible for coordinating the programme and priorities of the Cypriot Presidency, organising the meetings to be held, as well as other organisational matters and the communication strategy, in close collaboration with the Government Spokesperson and the Press and Information Office.

Fourthly, he added, the Deputy Minister will participate in discussions at the Ministerial Council on matters within his/her competence and submit relevant briefing notes, without participating in the decision-making process.

Our goal, he said, is for the six months of the Cypriot Presidency to be a significant milestone not only for Cyprus but also for the EU. “The development of an ambitious, specific, and realistic priority plan will contribute to a successful Presidency that will further strengthen the vision of European integration based on the principles and values of our European family. Our main ambition is to have a Presidency of hope and prospects. Hope and prospects for a better and more prosperous Europe”, he concluded.

(Source: CNA)