Cyprus, which has just taken over the Presidency of the EU Council for six months, intends to place the management of migratory flows and the protection of citizens at the heart of its strategy for “a more autonomous Union”. It proposes “an ambitious and results-oriented approach” to fully implement migration legislation and better prepare Member States to deal with organised crime, terrorism and hybrid threats.
Migration. Nicosia has made full implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum a key priority, stressing the need to tackle “the root causes of migration”. In particular, the Presidency is calling for a more robust return system and a strategy combining intra-European solidarity with “deeper and more meaningful” cooperation with third countries.
Internal security. Cyprus deplores the fact that the EU’s vulnerabilities are exposed by the interdependence of its security systems. It considers it “imperative to broaden our security spectrum and develop our prevention capabilities” by strengthening the Union’s means of action and thus respond “effectively and proactively” to breaches of the security architecture, in particular violations of European airspace.
The Presidency also intends to step up the fight against internal threats, “from organised and transnational crime to terrorism and violent extremism, including in the digital sphere”, in the context of the ProtectEU strategy. It emphasises strengthening law enforcement capabilities, transnational cooperation and the regulatory framework, as well as implementing the ‘EU Preparedness Union Strategy’, with the aim of ensuring that the EU is better equipped to deal with geopolitical or climatic crises.
Democratic resilience. Finally, Nicosia is concerned about “attacks on democracy”, deploring disinformation, foreign interference and pressure on media freedom. It promises to work with the Commission and the Member States in this area - in particular with the ‘Reinforcing democracy and integrity of elections’ legislative package - and to tackle all forms of hatred and discrimination, which it considers to be an integral part of the EU’s internal security. (Original version in French by Justine Manaud)