Category: Cyprus News Agency

Cyprus has become the sixth European Union member state to sign a loan agreement under the SAFE programme, following the formal signature of a pound 1.18 billion financing agreement between Cyprus and the European Commission.

The announcement was made on Monday by European Commissioner for Defence and Space, Andrius Kubilius, who signed the agreement on behalf of the European Commission together with Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin.

On behalf of Cyprus, the agreement was signed by the Cypriot Finance Minister, Makis Keravnos and the Head of the Public Debt Management Office, Chrysavgi Chrysostomou-Lapathioti.

In a social media post, Commissioner Kubilius described the agreement as ‘another member state firmly on track to strengthening European defence readiness.’

‘Cyprus is already the sixth country to sign a SAFE agreement,’ he noted. ‘Very soon, EU support will begin reaching Cyprus’ armed forces and defence industry.’

The SAFE programme’s first phase will provide an overall pound 150 billion in competitively priced, long-maturity loans, and is part of the EU Commission’s broader efforts to strengthen the Union’s defence capabilities and support investments in defence procurement and industrial capacity across member states.

The ENI-TotalEnergies consortium is expected to take its Final Investment Decision (FID) for the ‘Cronos’ gas field within June, Cyprus Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry, Michalis Damianos, told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA). He added that the agreements for Cronos approved by the Cabinet in May are also expected to be signed during the month.

The consortium appears to have already proceeded with certain payments and, as a result, the adoption of its final investment decision is considered almost certain in the near future, particularly in light of the agreements approved by the Cabinet in May.

According to the Minister, ‘the agreements will be signed within June, because ENI is expected to move forward with the FID during this period.’

Regarding the ‘Aphrodite’ field, the Minister noted that preliminary agreements for the sale of natural gas have already been signed. ‘Over the coming months, the final agreements will also be concluded,’ he said, reminding that Chevron’s deadline for completing the FEED (Front-End Engineering Design) phase for Aphrodite expires in January 2027.

Cyprus-Greece-Israel to visit the U.S. in 3+1 format on energy

The Minister also said that he will travel to Washington next week as part of the 3+1 format with Greece and Israel to discuss Eastern Mediterranean energy issues.

The United States has interests in the region through companies such as Chevron and ExxonMobil. In addition, the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) project is part of the picture, with the U.S. reportedly supporting the idea of electrically linking Israel to Europe via Cyprus. Furthermore, the presence of American companies in the region is considered politically important for broader geostrategic reasons.

However, no major agreement is expected to emerge from the meeting in the United States, as the issue of the ‘Ishai’ field is not expected to have been resolved by then.

According to CNA’s sources, negotiations regarding Ishai are ongoing, with the most recent call taking place last week. Sources indicate that the two sides are close to reaching agreement on the commercial aspects of the matter. Nevertheless, because first gas production from Aphrodite is not expected until 2030-2031, neither side appears willing to make concessions under time pressure.

Consultations with Exxon on Block 4

Meanwhile, the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, recently announced that ‘further announcements will be made very soon”, regarding Exxon, as advanced consultations are currently underway.

According to CNA sources, Exxon has expressed interest in offshore Block 4, while sources indicate that developments on the matter are expected from September onward.

Department of Meteorology

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

Date 01/06/2026

Station

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

Highest

Lowest

Humidity at

1200 UTC

Nicosia (Athalassa)

33

18

27

Larnaka Airport

28

19

62

Limassol

26

19

65

Pafos Airport

26

18

62

Frenaros

28

18

63

Prodromos

21

10

63

Polis Pafos

27

16

64

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (B)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 1200 01/06/2026 UNTIL 1200 02/06/2026

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1014hPa (hectopascal)

The weather will be mainly fine.

Visibility: Good

Sea surface temperature: 21°C

Warnings: NIL

Single-parent households with children represented 10.2% of all households with children in Cyprus in 2025, according to data published by Eurostat on Monday, marking the Global Day of Parents, which is observed every year on 1 June.

According to Eurostat, there were approximately 6.1 million single-parent families in the European Union in 2025, accounting for 12.9% of all households with children.

The data show that the share of households with only one adult varied significantly among EU Member States. Estonia recorded the highest proportion, with 40.6% of households with children being single-parent households. It was followed by Lithuania with 32.7% and Latvia with 28.5%.

At the other end of the scale, the lowest shares were recorded in Slovakia (3.1%), Greece (3.8%) and Slovenia (4.0%).

At EU level, the majority of single-parent households had one child (60.1%), while 30.9% had two children and 9.0% had three or more children.

Eurostat also notes that single-parent families were predominantly headed by women. Specifically, around 5 million households, or 81.6% of all single-parent households with children, had a female head of household, while men accounted for 18.4%.

Deputy Minister of Shipping to the President Marina Hadjimanolis departs for Athens on Sunday to attend the international maritime exhibition “Posidonia 2026” before travelling to Luxembourg on Saturday to participate in and chair the European Union Transport Council meeting on maritime transport, in the framework of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

According to a statement issued by the Deputy Ministry of Shipping, Hadjimanolis will visit the Posidonia 2026 exhibition, where the Deputy Ministry is participating with its own pavilion, as well as the stands of Cypriot companies taking part in the event.

During her stay in Athens, the Deputy Minister will hold meetings with shipowners and representatives of shipping companies, promoting the Cyprus Ship Registry and the Cypriot shipping sector. She will also attend a series of events organised on the sidelines of the exhibition.

On Wednesday, the Deputy Ministry of Shipping will host a reception on the sidelines of Posidonia 2026.

Contacts with the Turkish Cypriot side on foot-and-mouth disease are continuing, but there is so far no indication of any change in the situation in the occupied areas regarding the management of the crisis, the Greek Cypriot co-chair of the Bicommunal Technical Committee on Health, Leonidas Fylactou, told CNA.

Fylactou said contacts are held whenever possible and that the two sides are expected to meet again in June, after the Bayram holiday.

Regarding the adoption of EU protocols for managing the crisis, he said there is so far no indication of any shift by the Turkish Cypriot side, which maintains that there are no active cases of foot-and-mouth disease in the occupied areas.

He added that this was the position conveyed at the latest meeting, as well as in previous contacts held since December.

Fylactou noted that meetings will continue within the framework of the Bicommunal Technical Committee on Health.

Thousands of animals, including cattle and sheep, were affected in several livestock units initially in Larnaca and then in Nicosia district, following a foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak, first reported on February 20. FMD spread to Limassol in May. This followed an FMD outbreak in the island’s Turkish-occupied areas last December. Authorities proceed with a nationwide vaccination campaign of animals to contain the virus, while EU rules require all animals in the infected areas to be culled, bringing about a series of repercussions in livestock farming and other agricultural economic activities. Halloumi, Cyprus’ top agricultural export product, has been spared. Experts reiterate that FMD is not dangerous to humans.

Department of Meteorology

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

Date 31/05/2026

Station

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

Highest

Lowest

Humidity at

1200 UTC

Nicosia (Athalassa)

30

15

48

Larnaka Airport

26

17

68

Limassol

26

19

63

Pafos Airport

25

18

68

Frenaros

28

17

53

Prodromos

21

12

100

Polis Pafos

26

17

68

CNA/EA/AGK/2026 CYPRUS NEWS AGENCY

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (A)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 0600 31/05/2026 UNTIL 0600 01/06/2026

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1012hPa (hectopascal)

Weak low pressure and an unstable air mass are affecting the area. The weather will be mainly fine, but early morning, locally increased low cloud coverage will be present at times, mainly over the west, the south and the east, while local mist and/or fog patches is likely, mainly over the southeast. During the afternoon locally increased cloud coverage will be present.

Visibility: Good, but moderate to poor in mist

Sea surface temperature: 21°C

Warnings: NIL

AREA PERIOD WIND STATE OF SEA

West Coast

Morning Southeast to South 3, later Southeast to Southwest 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight

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

Night North to Northeast 3 Smooth to Slight

South Coast

Morning Southeast to South 3, gradually 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight

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

Night Northwest 3 Smooth to Slight

East Coast

Morning East to Southeast 3, later 3 to 4 Slight

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

Night West to Northwest 3 Smooth to Slight

North Coast

Morning Northwest to Northeast 3, later Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4 Smooth to Slight

Afternoon Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4, later Northwest to Northeast Smooth to Slight

Night Variable 2 to 3 Smooth to Slight

Time of issue: 0530

Date: 31/05/2026

CNA/EA/AGK/2026

EU Affairs Deputy Minister Marilena Raouna will address the opening session of the 4th OLAF Expenditure Conference on Wednesday and will officially launch the first National Anti-Fraud Strategy of the Republic of Cyprus, for the protection of the financial interests of the European Union.

A press release by the Cyprus EU Presidency says that the Conference will be attended by high-level representatives of European institutions, national authorities and specialized services from EU Member States, including representatives of OLAF, the European Court of Auditors, the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), AMLA, Europol, FIUs, the European Commission, as well as national authorities involved in the prevention, detection and investigation of fraud.

The Conference will take place on 3 and 4 June in the coastal town of Ayia Napa. The opening session will also feature a welcome address by OLAF Director-General Petr Klement.

The organisation of the Conference in Cyprus highlights the importance the Presidency attaches to the protection of the EU’s financial interests, the sound management of European funds and the strengthening of cooperation between the relevant institutions and authorities, the press release reads.

It is also pointed out that at a time when the debate on the next Multiannual Financial Framework, on strengthening fraud prevention and detection mechanisms and on the complementarity of European and national institutions is taking on particular importance, the Conference is an important forum for political and technical dialogue on the future of the protection of the EU’s financial interests.

The work of the Conference will focus, inter alia, on the role of National Anti-Fraud Strategies in the next MFF, on the latest developments in the European anti-fraud architecture and on the link between European financing and money laundering, with particular reference to the cooperation with the European Anti-Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Authority (AMLA) and the Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs).

On the second day of the work, the Conference will also focus on the use of advanced data for risk management and fraud prevention, on the dual administrative and criminal protection of the new MFF, as well as on national experiences from the implementation of the EU Anti-Fraud Programme.