President Nikos Christodoulides called for a concrete operational plan for the activation of the EU’s mutual defence clause and outlined Cyprus’s priorities on energy and regional relations as the first Informal European Council under Cyprus’s EU Council Presidency opened at Ayia Napa marina on Thursday evening.
Speaking to journalists on arrival, Christodoulides said the two days of discussions would confirm the priorities of the Cypriot Presidency across three main areas: relations with neighbouring states, European strategic autonomy, and energy.
Article 42.7 and defence
Christodoulides said Cyprus would present a specific plan on Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty — the mutual defence clause — and called for it to be given practical substance. “We need to give substance to this Article and have an operational plan,” he said.
He outlined what such a plan should address: which member states can provide immediate assistance when the clause is activated, what kind of help is needed, and what threats the requesting state faces. “We have a specific plan which we will present tonight and we will hear the views of all our partners so that an operational map can be defined,” he said.
Christodoulides noted that Article 42.7 is not a matter solely for Cyprus but for all member states, and recalled that France activated it for the first time in 2016 following the terrorist attack in Paris. He said Cyprus has specific proposals, and expressed confidence that the Commission and other member states do as well.
Energy
On energy, Christodoulides described two parallel tracks. The first covers immediate measures — the Commission President’s package of proposals to be discussed at Thursday’s dinner to address rising energy costs linked to regional developments. The second is longer-term: achieving the goal of the Energy Union. “To achieve energy autonomy we need to achieve the Energy Union goal,” he said.
He added that achieving strategic autonomy requires concrete actions. “Now is the time, taking into account regional and international developments, to give substance through specific actions and deeds to our common goal of achieving the EU’s strategic autonomy,” he said.
Regional relations and Friday’s session
Christodoulides said strengthening relations with neighbouring states is the first priority of the Cypriot Presidency. He noted that on Friday a session will take place with regional leaders, following the announcement of the Mediterranean Package, to discuss how relations with states in the region can be upgraded strategically.
Ukraine and Iran
On Ukraine, Christodoulides said the Cypriot Presidency has completed all preparatory work and is ready to open negotiating chapters if the political conditions allow.
On Iran, he said de-escalation cannot be achieved without the active involvement of the European Union.
Summit details
Christodoulides is receiving heads of state and government from 24 EU member states, alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as an invited guest, European Council President António Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Hungarian outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker will not attend.
The family photograph is scheduled for 7:15pm, followed at 7:30pm by a consultation between EU leaders and Zelenskyy. A working dinner begins at 8:15pm and is expected to last around two hours, with the first day concluding by 11pm.
More than 350 journalists are present at the press centre at Ayia Napa marina.
Read more:
