The approval of pound 9.2 million in funding from the European Solidarity Fund to support fire-affected areas in Cyprus, efforts to recognise the rights of lawful landowners in the occupied areas through European Union policies and efforts are underway to establish a European Agency for Rare Diseases based in Cyprus, are among the initiatives undertaken by Cypriot MEP Michalis Hadjipantela (EPP, DISY), who presented on Thursday a review of his first two years in the European Parliament during a press conference held at the EU House in Nicosia.
According to Hadjipantela, over the past two years he has played a leading role in 40 parliamentary dossiers and served on six parliamentary committees, as well as making decisive contributions in the Plenary, through which he helped shape European policies, with tangible results for Cyprus and European citizens.
In particular, the DISY MEP noted that he had served as Rapporteur and Shadow Rapporteur on dozens of legislative and budgetary dossiers, representing the European People’s Party on issues relating to the economy, the European budget, public health, the environment, energy, taxation and the European Union’s strategic autonomy, while at the same time, he made 33 speeches in the Plenary, tabled 41 written questions, took part in more than 170 institutional meetings, organised 18 political events and participated in six parliamentary delegations.
Among his activities to date, he highlighted his appointment as Rapporteur for the European Parliament’s 2027 Budget, one of the European Parliament’s most important institutional dossiers, while also noting his active involvement in the negotiations on the new Multiannual Financial Framework for 2028-2034, which will set out the European priorities for the next seven years and the level of funding available to Member States.
He also described his involvement in the Annual Report on the European Banking Union as significant, as, in his capacity as Shadow Rapporteur, he succeeded in incorporating proposals that strengthen the protection of borrowers and primary residences, particularly for vulnerable households.
He added that migration was also one of the key pillars of his parliamentary work, as, in his capacity as Shadow Rapporteur on the budgetary assessment of European financial assistance to Egypt, he helped shape a strategy that strengthens stability in the region and addresses the root causes of migration flows, while at the same time, he actively participated in the dialogue on the new European Strategy on Asylum and Migration, emphasising the need for substantial support for frontline countries, such as Cyprus and Greece, through common European policies.
He further noted that his parliamentary work also included actions and initiatives on public health, civil protection, tax simplification, boosting the competitiveness of European businesses, the international role of the euro, the green transition, energy security and support for European industry.
With regard to Cyprus in particular, Hadjipantela made special reference to the approval of pound 9.2 million in funding from the European Solidarity Fund to support the fire-affected areas of Cyprus, highlighting the importance of utilising European instruments for the benefit of the country.
He also emphasised the initiatives he had undertaken in the European Parliament on behalf of displaced persons in Cyprus, proceeding to table an amendment to the Regulation on the Common Agricultural Policy 2028-2034 at the third consecutive stage, with the aim of incorporating the issue of displaced persons into the European legislative agenda, and calling for the recognition of the rights of lawful landowners in the occupied territories through European Union policies.
He also said that efforts are underway to establish a European Agency for Rare Diseases based in Cyprus, which is, moreover, the only Member State without a European agency on its territory.
Asked about the next MFF and the debate on the EU’s own resources, Hadjipantela said that there are two proposals from the European Parliament, the first concerning the taxation of betting companies and the second an increase in taxation on cigarettes, however, these will be the subject of negotiations with the European Council and the European Commission.
‘Our aim is to complete this process by the end of the year. We are mindful that there may be a change in the French Government and that developments regarding the 2028 budget may not be so positive. So the aim is to complete it by the end of the year. We in the European People’s Party have a special group that meets once a week to discuss the budget. We know where we need to go,’ he noted.
‘We are awaiting the Irish Presidency to table its proposals. In the European Parliament, we know what our own proposals are, we are firm in ensuring that we secure what we are demanding as the European Parliament. When this budget process began, the figures were much lower than they are at present, but through tough negotiations we managed to increase them, and I believe they will remain substantial,’ he added.
Asked about the annual report on the European Banking Union and the protection of borrowers and primary residences, Hadjipantela said that the report had already been forwarded to the European Central Bank and the European Banking Federation.
‘This proposal will be sent to the Association of Cyprus Banks in the coming days, we will inform them of this proposal and await their response as to what they intend to do in the future. Should we receive no response, when I visit the European Central Bank in September and meet with Lagarde, I will inform her that the Association of Cyprus Banks is not implementing this report passed by the European Parliament and I will ask what they intend to do,’ he noted in this regard.
Asked about the RescEU civil protection programme and whether there is a link with the European firefighting centre in Cyprus, the EPP MEP said that there certainly is.
‘We are working with the RescEU centre in Brussels to identify what we need here in Cyprus. At our suggestion, the budget for civil protection has been significantly increased, so that Cyprus, which has hosted this centre in recent months, may also benefit,’ he added.
Asked about the SAFE programme and Turkey’s insistence on participating in it, Hadjipantela said that in the questions they put to the European Commissioner for Defence, together with the other DISY MEP, Loukas Fourlas, regarding whether Turkey could participate in the programme, the response was negative.
He added that the opinion of the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs on European Defence Readiness with a view to 2030 and the ReArm Europe needs assessment includes an amendment of his own, co-signed by other MEPs, including the German Committee Chair, which explicitly states that companies whose ultimate beneficiary is of Turkish interest will not be able to take part in this programme, while in November 2025 a European Commission spokesperson stated that Turkey is excluded from SAFE.
‘Why do we in Cyprus keep insisting that Turkey is part of SAFE? Turkey may join SAFE provided there are certain developments in the Cyprus issue, and it is one of the bargaining chips held by both the European Union and our side,’ he stressed.
In response to a question regarding the initiative to erect a memorial in the European Parliament to the victims and missing persons of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, Hadjipantela said that the resolution on the memorial is on the table, ‘but given that negotiations are underway to resolve the Cyprus issue, it is a matter we can address once the situation has become clearer.’ ‘However, the resolution is there and no one can question the European Parliament’s plenary session,’ he concluded.