European Union leaders sit down on Friday with regional partners from Egypt, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and the Gulf Cooperation Council in one of the most significant sessions of the informal European Council, as the two-day summit moves to Nicosia’s Filoxenia Conference Centre.
President Nikos Christodoulides arrived at the Filoxenia shortly after 8:30am to welcome heads of state and government. A press conference with Christodoulides, European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is scheduled for 12:10pm, followed by the regional leaders’ arrival at 12:50pm.
The working session and lunch are due to begin at 1:10pm, with press statements from the Cypriot, EU and regional sides expected at 3:40pm.
A diplomatic source told Phileleftheros the regional summit highlights Cyprus’s role as a bridge between the EU and the wider region, and reflects one of the core priorities of the Cypriot presidency.
The Cypriot approach, the source said, focuses on the EU contributing meaningfully to de-escalation, peace, stability and freedom of navigation, while the April 24 session aims to coordinate messaging and build a framework for deeper EU engagement with states in the region.
Leaders will also hold their second discussion at heads-of-state level on the next Multiannual Financial Framework, covering funding sources, overall budget size and the balance between own resources, national contributions and borrowing.
Government sources said the Cypriot presidency is pushing for substantive engagement from member states ahead of upcoming bilateral contacts, with the goal of producing a revised negotiating framework with indicative figures in time for the June European Council.
Technical examination of the files is nearing completion, the sources said, with talks shifting to a more political footing.
Christodoulides will sign the “One Europe, One Market” roadmap on behalf of all 27 member states, alongside the Presidents of the European Parliament and the European Commission.
The roadmap sets out 42 legislative and policy actions organised across five strategic pillars, with the aim of reducing single market fragmentation, strengthening EU competitiveness and strategic autonomy, and achieving a more integrated single market by 2027.
EU leaders began arriving at the Filoxenia Conference Centre on Friday morning ahead of the second day of talks.
Among those who reached the venue were European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
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