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Commission advances the Savings and Investments Union with measures to mobilise insurers and banks’ capital for Europe’s future

The European Commission has adopted two measures to support the essential role those institutional investors, such as banks and insurers, play in the financing the EU economy.

These measures deliver on the roadmap set out in the Savings and Investments Union (SIU) strategy and contribute to the EU’s broader objectives of supporting private investment, improving capital market integration, and strengthening Europe’s long-term competitiveness, for the benefit of EU businesses and households.

They aim at boosting equity investments by banks and insurers, including where these investments are made alongside public entities – such as the European Investment Bank or national promotional banks.

Upgraded EU-Ukraine trade agreement enters into force

As of today, the EU and Ukraine will benefit from an enhanced, stable, fair and permanent trade framework, with the entry into force of the EU-Ukraine Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Area (DCFTA). The upgraded DCFTA delivers additional, mutually beneficial trade liberalisation, while taking fully into account the sensitivity of certain EU agricultural sectors. It illustrates in a very tangible way the EU’s unwavering commitment to supporting Ukraine. At the same time, it limits EU imports of sensitive agricultural products compared to the levels under the autonomous trade measures, enshrines a robust new safeguard clause, and provides for the alignment of Ukrainian and EU production standards.

The DCFTA will support long-term economic certainty and stable trade relations for both parties, while contributing to the gradual integration of Ukraine into the EU Single Market.

New measures unlock access to data from largest online platforms to support research

As of today, new rules under the Digital Services Act (DSA) will allow researchers to gain unprecedented access to very large online platforms’ data to study the societal impact stemming from the platforms’ systems. Such access is now possible following the entry into force of the delegated act on data access.

The measures will allow qualified researchers to request access to previously unavailable data from very large online platforms and search engines. Platforms’ own data is a key element in understanding the possible systemic risks stemming from, for example, recommender systems. It will also help address risks such as the spread of illegal content and financial scams. Hence, ensuring a safer online experience for users, and, importantly, minors.

While creating opportunities for new studies, these measures also include safeguards to protect the companies’ interest. To get access to platforms’ data, researchers will have to undergo a strict assessment carried out by Digital Services Coordinators, the national authorities responsible for the implementation of the DSA. If researchers fulfil all the criteria prescribed by the law and if the research projects are relevant for studying systemic risks, including the spread of illegal content or negative effects on mental health, under the DSA, the platforms are legally required to comply with their data requests. Digital Services Coordinators are already working together to ensure that data access applications will be assessed uniformly across Member States and in due time.

Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice President for Technological Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, said: ‘Creating a safer online environment starts with studying the risks. With the Digital Services Act rules, independent researchers will now be able to study new data from online platforms. Understanding the potential risks that online platforms can have on their users is another step in ensuring platforms’ accountability.’

(For more information: Thomas Regnier – Tel.: +32 2 299 10 99; Patricia Poropat – Tel.: +32 2 298 04 85)

Commissioners Jørgensen and Roswall to discuss key international energy and environment issues at G7 Ministers’ Meeting

Tomorrow and Friday, Commissioner for Energy and Housing, Dan Jørgensen, and Commissioner for Environment, Water Resilience and a Competitive Circular Economy, Jessika Roswall, will be in Toronto to participate in the annual G7 Energy and Environment Ministers’ meeting.

Hosted by the Canadian government, the two-day ministerial will build on the outcomes of the G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, held earlier this year, where leaders committed to support concrete actions towards building energy security and accelerating the digital transition, and advancing a circular economy and protecting our oceans and freshwater.

Commissioner Jørgensen will engage with the G7 energy ministers on critical raw materials and tackling supply chain vulnerabilities, the enabling role of artificial intelligence in the energy transition, the importance of innovation, emerging technologies and nuclear in driving a sustainable and resilient energy future, as well as energy security. There will also be a dedicated exchange on how to step up support for Ukraine’s energy security in light of the continuous attacks on its critical energy infrastructure. In the margins of the Ministerial Meeting, the Commissioner will also hold bilateral meetings with Svitlana Grynchuk, Minister for Energy of Ukraine; Chris Wright, US Secretary for Energy; and Minister Hodgson from Canada.

Commissioner Roswall will focus on tackling issues high on the global environment and climate agenda and advance G7 leadership on environmental priorities. This includes extreme weather prediction, preparedness and response; promoting a circular economy and resource efficiency; and catalyzing action to tackle the global water crisis. The Commissioner will also have bilateral meetings with Minister Dabrusin of Canada, Secretary of State Emma Reynolds of the United Kingdom, and State Minister Shigeharu Aoyama of Japan.

Commissioner Serafin to visit Greece for his ‘Tour d’Europe’

As part of the ‘Tour d’Europe’ to consult on the European long-term budget, Commissioner for the Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration Piotr Serafin will be in Greece tomorrow and on Friday. Through these visits, the Commissioner meets with public authorities and beneficiaries of EU funding, to analyse the impact of the EU budget in the European regions and exchange views on the new Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) proposals.

Tomorrow, Commissioner Serafin will meet with Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, which will be followed by visit to the Piraeus subway extension together with Nikos Papathanasis, Alternate Minister of Economy and Finance, as well as Konstantinos Kyranakis, Alternate Minister of Infrastructure and Transport and Nikolaos Tachiaos, Deputy Minister of Transport. Thanks to this first part of the mission, Commissioner Serafin will see firsthand how EU-supported initiatives are improving lives and contributing to regional development across Europe.

Later in the day, Commissioner Serafin will head to the Hellenic Parliament, where he will be meeting the Committee on EU Affairs, followed by a meeting with the Vice-President of Greece, Konstantinos Chatzidakis. His visit on Thursday will finish at the Museum of Acropolis, the construction of which was co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund.

On Friday, the Commissioner will meet with the Minister of Finance, Kyriakos Pierrakakis, where they will have the chance to exchange views about the next MFF.

President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides will have a first meeting with the new Head of UNFICYP and Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General, Khassim Diagne today at 11:30 a.m. local time.

Cyprus government awaits for the announcements from the United Nations regarding the upcoming visit to Cyprus of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, María Ángela Holguín.

The Senegalese diplomat Khassim Diagne replaced Colin Stewart, who retired recently.

Upon his arrival, Diagne said he felt honored and grateful to be on the island, adding that he looks forward to working with all parties. Diagne has over 25 years of experience in international affairs and has held senior leadership positions within the United Nations.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.

In 2025 the Secretary-General hosted two informal meetings on Cyprus, in March in Geneva and in July in New York, while a tripartite meeting with the Cyprus leaders was also held in late September, at the end of the UN General Assembly High Level Week. An informal meeting in broader format is expected later this year.

María Angela Holguín, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties, while former European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, designated by the Commission as Special Envoy for Cyprus, is also expected to contribute to the settlement process, in cooperation with Holguín.

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Average gross monthly earnings of employees during the second quarter of 2025 recorded an increase of 4.2%, amounting to pound 2,476, compared to pound 2,375 during the same quarter of 2024, based on provisional data, published by the Statistical Service on Wednesday.

For the second quarter of 2025, there is an increase in seasonally adjusted average gross monthly earnings compared to the first quarter of 2025, of 0.9%.

The average gross monthly earnings of male employees during the second quarter of 2025 are estimated at pound 2,656 and of female employees at pound 2,251. Compared to the second quarter of 2024, the average gross monthly earnings of male and female employees recorded an increase of 3.8% and 4.7% respectively.

According to data published by the Statistical Service, 36.1% of employees receive gross monthly earnings below pound 1,500. 40% of employees earn between pound 1,501 and pound 2,999, while 12.8% earn between pound 3,000 and pound 4,499. 6% receive between pound 4,500 and pound 5,999, and 5.1% of employees earn more than pound 6,000.

Weather Temperature for Cyprus

Today’s weather and temperatures for Cyprus according to the Department of Meteorology

Date 29/10/2025

Station

TEMPERATURE (C) (FROM 20:00 PC of the previous one until the time of the show)

Humidity at

1200 UTC

Highest

Lowest

Nicosia (Athalassa)

29 (28.5)

15 (15.2)

47

Larnaka Airport

29 (28.6)

18 (18.4)

51

Limassol (New Port)

28 (27.6)

16 (15.6)

55

Limassol (Municipal Garden)

29.0

18.2

Pafos Airport

26 (26.1)

18 (18.2)

67

Frenaros

29 (29)

18 (18.2)

63

Prodromos

21 (21.2)

11 (10.6)

87

Polis Pafos

26 (26.2)

17 (16.8)

66

A team of researchers led by Cypriot Planetary Scientist Dr. Constantinos Charalambous, has shed light for the first time on the fine structure of the mantle of planet Mars.

Dr Constantinos Charalambous, UK Space Agency Fellow in Mars Exploration Science, led a recent study as first author and member of NASA’s InSight science team, that was published in the Science Magazine. Dr Charalambous worked closely with seismologists and planetary scientists across Europe and the U.S. At Imperial College London, his team also contributed to the development of the short-period sensors onboard SEIS, the Seismic Experiment for Interior Structure, which enabled these precise, high-frequency measurements.

«InSight let us ‘hear’ seismic echoes from recent meteorite impacts reverberating through an ancient mosaic deep within Mars, revealing remnants of a story that began 4.5 billion years ago with colossal collisions. For the first time, we are seeing such fine-scale structure inside another planet – a kind of fossil record of Mars’ birth preserved in its grainy mantle – and this changes how we read the history of rocky worlds» Dr Charalambous told the Cyprus News Agency in an interview.

Mars, he added, offers the first direct evidence of fine-scale mantle heterogeneity in a rocky planet, opening a new window into planetary origins.

The way these internal structures are preserved links to thermal evolution, volcanism, gas release, and climate – ultimately, to what makes a world habitable, he told CNA.

It is recalled that in 2019, two rocks on planet Mars were named in the Cypriot dialect by NASA, in recognition of Dr Charalambous’ contributions to the InSight mission.

NASA gave Dr Charalambous the opportunity to name the rocks, and he honoured his birth roots by selecting the names ‘moutti’ (nose) and ‘zavos’ (askew, pointing at an angle) from the Cypriot dialect. The names were inspired by the distinct shapes and orientations of the rocks, which resembled their meanings.

‘This is the first time we have names in the Cypriot dialect on the red planet,’ Dr. Charalambous, had told CNA back then.

We ‘probed’ the deep interior of Mars

———————

Asked about his research, he said that ‘we probed’ the deep interior of Mars using NASA’s InSight seismometers – the only instrument ever to record quakes on another planet’.

‘We analysed eight distant marsquakes, including the two largest recent meteorite impacts observed, with the furthest occurring some 7,500 km away. By tracing how

seismic waves travelled through the mantle – the layer between the crust and the core – we essentially performed a kind of planetary ‘CT scan” he said.

Charalambous added that they observed that high-frequency waves systematically arrived delayed and ‘blurred’ compared to low-frequency ones.

‘This was a telltale sign that the waves scattered and slowed down as they travelled through the mantle, revealing a seismic path studded with obstacles – like sonar pings bouncing through a field of submerged boulders’.

Once they realised this, he said, the team set out to understand the origin and nature of these obstacles: how could such features form and persist inside a planet sealed beneath a stagnant lid for billions of years – unlike our Earth?

Main results of research

——————

‘The signal was clear: Mars’ mantle is not uniform, but ‘seeded’ with buried fragments up to kilometers in size, chaotically scattered down to ~1,400 km depth. For the first time, we are seeing such fine-scale internal structure preserved on a planetary scale – in any planet’ Charalambous told CNA.

These fragments, he noted, are ancient remnants of Mars’ violent beginnings: colossal impacts melted the early planet into magma oceans, which then crystallised into compositionally distinct ‘remnants’.

‘Mars, in this way, preserves a chaotic mosaic of its earliest formative stages’.

Those results are significant because the ‘remnants’ formed very early, from giant impacts and the crystallisation of magma oceans, leaving behind strong compositional heterogeneities, he said, adding that their distribution resembles ‘shattered glass’: a few large chunks, many smaller ones – a classic fingerprint of catastrophic, high-energy events.

Asked why they survived, he told CNA that Mars sealed its surface early with a stagnant crustal lid, adding that in contrast, Earth’s tectonic plates constantly recycle the lithosphere, injecting slabs into the mantle and stirring it vigorously – erasing most early signatures in the process.

‘The survival of these heterogeneities 4.5 billion years later tells us that Mars’ mantle was geologically near ‘static’ – highly viscous and poorly mixed. Its sluggish convection stretched and folded these fragments, like a baker kneading stiff dough, but never erased them. That, in turn, has major implications for the planet’s thermal evolution, and how it sheds heat from its core’.

In short, he went on to say, ‘we reveal a heterogeneous, ‘fractured’ mantle that preserved the scars of its planetary youth – because Mars churned slowly beneath a single, rigid lid’.

This stands in contrast to Earth’s dynamically active and recycling interior, which has erased most of its early structural and chemical signatures, and with them, the vital clues of our planet’s early history and evolution, Charalambous added.

First detailed, planet-wide look at Mars’ fine mantle structure

——————————-

Invited to refer to the significance of those findings for Mars, he said that ‘this is our first detailed, planet-wide look at its fine mantle structure’.

Mars, he pointed out, ‘acts as a time capsule. Unlike Earth, where tectonics and active convection erase most early signatures, Mars sealed itself early under a stagnant lid – preserving a secret journal of its violent formation and evolution’.

‘What we see – ancient, kilometer-scale remnants studded throughout the mantle – implies weak mixing over billions of years. This gives us the key to unlock Mars’ thermal history: a highly viscous, sluggish mantle cools slowly and inefficiently, shaping the way the planet evolved’.

But this ‘key’, he stressed, doesn’t just unlock Mars.

‘It tells us how the memory of planetary birth and evolution can be preserved in rocky worlds. Most rocky planets (and exoplanets) likely have stagnant lids, rather than plate tectonics like Earth. Understanding what happens inside them is crucial to figuring out which ones remain geologically active – and which might be potentially habitable’.

This, Charalambous said, directly connects to habitability over geological timescales: whether there’s long-lived volcanism, how gases and water cycle through the planet, how climate stays stable.

‘Not because Mars is globally habitable today, but because it can help us better understand the deep processes that make some rocky planets more hospitable than others’.

Earth has erased much of its own early record

——————–

Invited to refer to the significance of those findings for Earth, he said that our planet has erased much of its own early record, noting that Mars gives us a reference point: it shows what survives in a world without tectonics, and helps us better interpret how – and why – Earth remained geologically ‘alive’.

He explained that when we say Earth is ‘alive,’ we mean tectonic activity, volcanism, and a churning mantle that constantly refreshes the planet’s surface and environment.

‘Studying Mars’ more primitive interior helps illuminate what makes that possible here’ he pointed out.

We hope it paves the way for a new generation of missions to Mars and beyond

—————————–

Charalambous said that it has been an honour to be part of the NASA InSight team -from mission design, testing and launch to data analysis – and to contribute to one of the mission’s final major discoveries.

‘Turning a single seismometer – when on Earth we rely on global networks – into a tool for planetary tomography was a challenging but exhilarating journey. We hope it paves the way for the next generation of missions to Mars and beyond’ he stressed.

In addition, he said that in that same spirit, he is also part of the NASA Farside Seismic Suite team where two seismometers will land on the Moon’s far side to record moonquakes and impacts.

‘As the new wave of lunar exploration gathers pace, those measurements-together with data from current and upcoming missions-will greatly deepen our understanding of our nearest neighbor’s interior and, by extension, shed light on Earth’s own history’ he concluded.

Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment, Maria Panayiotou, attended the Agriculture and Fisheries Council held on October 27 and 28, 2025, in Luxembourg, where discussions focused on the proposal for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post-2027 regarding the green architecture, the market situation, the Strategy for Renewing Generations in Agriculture, and the upcoming session of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which covers tuna and bonito species. In her statements, Panayiotou informed her counterparts about the dramatic situation facing agriculture in Cyprus due to drought, requesting support for affected farmers from EU funds. She also called for realism in implementing the EU’s generational renewal plan in agriculture, taking into account the needs of each member state.

An announcement by the Ministry of Agriculture notes that the Ministers of the 27 member states held an orientation discussion on the proposal for the CAP post-2027 regarding the green architecture. The discussion focused on assessing the attractiveness of the new architecture to encourage farmers to participate and contribute to achieving climate and environmental goals.

During her intervention, the Minister defended the need to promote a competitive agricultural sector that operates with environmental protection as a priority, underlining that this goal is one of the greatest challenges for the new CAP. She stressed the importance of ensuring adequate incentives for farmers to contribute to the ambitious goals of the green architecture, as well as the need for sufficient funding to address the climate crisis. At the same time, she highlighted the need to provide farmers with opportunities to increase their income through bioeconomy and circular economy actions.

At the discussion on the market situation, Panayiotou informed about the dramatic situation facing Cypriot agriculture due to drought. “She emphasized that the ongoing drought has affected all food production sectors, with forecasts for 2026 being bleak. She specifically referred to Cyprus’ request for support from EU funds, stressing the importance of supporting affected farmers” it is added.

The Ministers were briefed by Taras Kachka, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, on the food production situation in the country. In her intervention, the Minister expressed Cyprus’ support for Ukraine’s efforts to align its products with the EU’s high production standards, emphasizing the importance of technical support for the country to achieve this goal. She also highlighted Cyprus’ position on shaping free and unhindered trade that ensures food security and fair competition among food producers.

It is further noted that the Ministers exchanged views on the EU’s position ahead of this year’s session of the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which will be held in November in Seville. In her intervention, Panayiotou fully supported the Commission’s commitment to safeguarding the EU’s interests within the ICCAT, particularly regarding the possible increase in Total Allowable Catches (TAC) for bluefin tuna. She noted that the recovery of this stock is a success, and our priority is to avoid any loss in the existing EU quota distribution for bluefin tuna. In this context, she emphasized the need to ensure fair treatment and predictability regarding the fishing opportunities of member states, as well as equal competition with third countries. She also reminded of the illegal actions and harassment of the Cypriot fishing fleet by Turkey.

Subsequently, it is added, the European Commission presented the recently announced Strategy for Generational Renewal in Agriculture, which sets out a clear roadmap for supporting young farmers and attracting more people to the agricultural sector. The Minister welcomed the announcement and the goal of reducing the demographic gap in the agricultural sector. She also stressed the need to focus on the practical implementation of the initiative, taking into account the specificities of each member state. Finally, she highlighted the importance of setting realistic timelines for implementing the proposed actions for generational renewal to achieve tangible results.

On the sidelines of the Council’s work, Panayiotou held bilateral meetings with the Polish Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Stefan Krajewski, the Slovak Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Richard Takác, and the Austrian Federal Minister of Agriculture, Forestry, Climate Protection, Environment, Regions, and Water Management, Norbert Totschnig. During these meetings, they discussed issues of mutual interest in view of the Cypriot Presidency.

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (B)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 1200 29/10/2025 UNTIL 1200 30/10/2025

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1016hPa (hectopascal)

Weak low pressure is temporarily affecting the area, and weak high pressure is expected tomorrow. The weather will be mainly fine.

Visibility: Good

Sea surface temperature: 24°C

Warnings: NIL

AREA PERIOD WIND STATE OF SEA

West Coast

Afternoon West to Northwest 4, locally 4 to 5 Slight

Night Northwest to North 3 to 4, gradually Northeast to East 3 Slight, gradually Smooth to Slight

Morning Northeast to East 3 to 4, gradually East to Southeast 4 Smooth to Slight, gradually Slight

South Coast

Afternoon Southeast to Southwest 3 to 4, later Southwest to West Smooth to Slight

Night Variable 3, gradually Northwest to Northeast 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight

Morning North to Northeast 3 to 4, gradually Northeast to East 4 Smooth to Slight, gradually Slight

East Coast

Afternoon Northeast to Southeast 3, gradually Southeast to Southwest 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight

Night Southwest to Northwest 3, later North to Northeast 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight, later Slight

Morning North to Northeast 3 to 4, gradually Northeast 4 Slight

North Coast

Afternoon Northwest to North 3 to 4, locally West to Northwest Smooth to Slight

Night Northeast to Southeast 3, at times locally 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight

Morning East to Southeast 3, later North to Northeast 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight, later Slight

New Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Cyprus and Head of UNFICYP, Khassim Diagne, is well informed about all aspects of the Cyprus problem and current developments, competent sources have said.

According to the sources Diagne, who was received on Wednesday for the first time by President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace, is in direct communication with UNSG’s Personal Envoy for Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, and maintains a very close relationship with UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres.

The same sources said that he has not yet received a response from the new Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman on arranging a meeting with him, and that it seems that Erhurman will first visit Ankara before any contact with the UN top official.

The sources note that Diagne “is particularly well informed about the issues of the Cyprus problem”, and has already visited the buffer zone and areas where tensions and provocations had been recorded from time to time. He is also expected to make efforts on the issue of the illegal detention of five Greek Cypriots in the Turkish occupied territories, as well as on strengthening the work of the technical committees.

Regarding the visit of the UNSG’s Personal Envoy for Cyprus, Maria Angela Holguin, to the island, the same information said that the period between 3 and 11 November is being considered, however, confirmation from the United Nations is required.

The Erhurman-Diagne meeting is considered to be the key, as Holguin should know in advance that she will have a meeting with the Turkish Cypriot leader.

The UN Secretary General’s goal for a new multilateral meeting on the Cyprus problem remains to hold it this year, but since there is a new Turkish Cypriot leader, this time frame may change.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.

In 2025 the Secretary-General hosted two informal meetings on Cyprus, in March in Geneva and in July in New York, while a tripartite meeting with the Cyprus leaders was also held in late September, at the end of the UN General Assembly High Level Week. An informal meeting in broader format is expected later this year.

María Angela Holguín, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties, while former European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, designated by the Commission as Special Envoy for Cyprus, is also expected to contribute to the settlement process, in cooperation with Holguín.

Five Greek Cypriots were ‘arrested’ on July 19 in the Turkish-occupied village of Trikomo, in the northern part of Cyprus, while visiting their properties and were charged with ‘illegal entry’ and other charges. Although released from detention, they continue to be subjected to multiple ‘court sessions’, even as some were reported to suffer from health issues. Some charges have been dropped but they are not allowed to leave the island’s Turkish-occupied areas pending ‘trial’. The Cyprus government and the European Parliament condemned the arrests, calling for the immediate release of the five, while a European Commission spokesperson said the EU ‘does not recognise the self-proclaimed state in the northern part of Cyprus and its so-called judicial system.’