Presenting the priorities of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU within its remit to the European Parliament’s Committee on Legal Affairs (JURI) on Wednesday 28 January, the Cypriot Minister of Justice and Public Order, Constantinos Fitiris, defended a ‘roadmap’ guided by the protection of rights, legal certainty and regulatory simplification.
One of the Presidency’s main challenges is the regulation on the protection of vulnerable adults in cross-border situations (see EUROPE 13658/1), a dossier on which the minister said he was “optimistic” about obtaining a mandate from the EU Council in March to open interinstitutional negotiations, pointing out that this text was necessary in view of an ageing population.
The Cyprus Presidency also wants to make progress on the sensitive issue of cross-border recognition of parenthood (see EUROPE 13079/9) to ensure that parenthood recognised in one Member State is automatically valid throughout the EU – a sensitive issue within the EU Council (see EUROPE 13599/14). The aim is to reduce differences, particularly on the rules on jurisdiction, in order to maximise the chances of an agreement in the EU Council, where the debate was launched in 2024.
The minister reaffirmed Cyprus’ commitment to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), described as the “founding law”of the European model. He confirmed that the Presidency would continue to examine simplification proposals, particularly for medium-sized companies, as part of the so-called ‘omnibus’ package, although these would not call into question current data protection rules.
Reservations were expressed, notably by Lara Wolters (S&D, Dutch), about simplification leading to deregulation.
The discussions also raised questions about the role of mediator claimed by the Presidency. Asked about European cross-border associations, Constantinos Fitiris acknowledged the existence of widely divergent views between Member States, explaining that the EU Council was not in a position to make progress on this issue.
Similarly, on the subject of the optional European regime for companies (‘28th regime’) (see EUROPE 13790/15), he confirmed that work would begin at a technical level, without however advancing on a political compromise. (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)