Category: Cyprus News Agency

Cyprus could take a decisive step toward joining the Schengen area as early as this spring, with the European Commission set to adopt its Schengen evaluation report in the coming months, as European Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration Magnus Brunner told the Cyprus News Agency.

In an interview with CNA, he confirmed that Cyprus has made ‘significant progress’ on all outstanding technical requirements, shifting the focus to a political decision by the Council once readiness is formally confirmed.

The Commissioner underlined that the Commission ‘fully supports Cyprus’ efforts to join the Schengen area’ and is working closely with the Cypriot authorities to help achieve this goal. Schengen, he said, remains one of the EU’s most tangible achievements, delivering freedom of movement while boosting tourism, trade and daily life across the Union.

‘The Commission will adopt the Cyprus Schengen evaluation report in spring, and once technical readiness is confirmed, it will be for the Council to take a unanimous decision on accession’, he said.

Illegal border crossings down by more than a half

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The positive Schengen signal comes as the European Union prepares to move from legislation to full implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum in June 2026. Brunner described 2025 as ‘a very good year for migration and asylum policy in the EU,’ noting that illegal border crossings are down by more than half since 2023.

‘Not only are illegal border crossings down by more than half since 2023, we have also advanced on the implementation of the Pact on Asylum and Migration and adopted new measures that complement the Pact in record time,’ he said. Among the new tools are the safe third country concept and a common safe country of origin list, aimed at reducing pressure on national asylum systems and streamlining procedures across the bloc.

While acknowledging that the EU’s 27 member states face different challenges, Brunner stressed that there is ‘strong commitment to the implementation of the Pact’ and that the Union is on a good path for the entry into force in June 2026.

To ensure uniform application, he said, the Commission is working closely with all member states through country-specific teams providing technical expertise, as well as operational and financial support via EU agencies and the EU budget. Cyprus, he said, is receiving pound 290 million in EU support for the period 2021-2027, while the EU Asylum Agency and Frontex are also assisting on the ground.

Against the backdrop of continued instability in the Middle East and shifting migration routes in the Eastern Mediterranean, Brunner said the EU’s priority is ‘to bring illegal arrival numbers down and keep them down,’ while remaining vigilant across all routes.

‘To support this, the EU is investing in ‘migration diplomacy’, we are working on comprehensive partnerships with third countries, fighting the root causes of illegal migration and supporting the countries along the entire migratory route’, he said.

He added that the EU is also intensifying efforts against migrant smuggling, including through the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling hosted in December, which aimed to strengthen global coordination and dismantle smuggling networks while protecting vulnerable people.

In the Eastern Mediterranean, Libya remains a particular concern. As the Commissioner said the EU is engaging with relevant stakeholders there to reduce illegal departures and ‘break the business model of migrant smugglers.’ In contrast, he said, the Middle East requires a different approach, with the EU prioritising broader stability.

The EU, Brunner noted, is the region’s largest donor.

‘Since the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, we have seen many developments. Over 3 million Syrians have returned home from the surrounding areas or within Syria’, he noted.

The Commission’s objective, he said, is to stabilise the country, arguing that ‘the best way to ensure that Syrians return home is to focus on improving life in Syria.’ Plans include a new political partnership, dialogue channels, lifting sanctions, access to the EU internal market and financial support of around pound 620 million for 2026 and 2027.

Returns policy remains one of the most politically sensitive issues in the EU. Brunner said effective returns are ‘an essential part of a credible and effective asylum system.’ While the return rate rose to around 27% in 2025, he acknowledged this is ‘clearly not sufficient.’

As he said, in 2026, the Commission will focus on strengthening the common framework through a new Return Regulation designed to make procedures faster, more consistent and legally robust. At the same time, he added that cooperation on returns will be embedded in broader partnerships with third countries, linking visa policy, trade and development aid.

‘A common EU approach makes a lot of sense in these areas, as our voice carries much further when carried as one,’ he said, noting that smaller member states such as Cyprus stand to benefit directly from this collective leverage.

EU must restore public confidence in border control, says Commissioner

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Addressing concerns about democratic resilience and rising political polarisation in Europe, Brunner said citizens have ‘very legitimate’ concerns about migration and security.

‘We need to give people back the feeling that we are in control over what happens at our borders, and in our societies,’ he said, stressing that this is ‘not about left or right,’ but about putting in place a system that works.

He argued that abuses of asylum systems can no longer be tolerated, saying that outdated legal tools from the early 2000s have allowed some to exploit the system, even committing crimes. Reforms, he said, are aimed at ensuring control lies with European institutions, not migrant smugglers and human traffickers.

Next week, the Commission will present a new five-year Strategy on Migration and Asylum, setting out this approach.

‘The priority for Europe is clear: bringing arrival numbers down and keeping them down,’ Brunner said, pointing to Frontex data showing that illegal border crossings have fallen by a further 26%, bringing the total reduction to 55% since 2023.

Cyprus shows strong migration results as it takes EU Council Presidency

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As Cyprus assumed the EU Council Presidency, Brunner described cooperation with the Cypriot authorities as ‘very good,’ saying preparatory work is already well advanced.

Cyprus, he noted, has delivered tangible results. In 2025, irregular border crossings into the country fell by 62% compared with the previous year, while the return rate reached around 60%, well above the EU average. On this basis, he said, Cyprus is well placed during its Presidency to help drive political progress on key justice and home affairs files, particularly the implementation of the Pact on Migration and Asylum and returns policy.

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (A)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 0600 23/01/2026 UNTIL 0600 24/01/2026

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1010hPa (hectopascal)

Weak low pressure is affecting the area. The weather will be partly cloudy with isolated showers.

Visibility: Good, but moderate in showers

Sea surface temperature: 18°C

Warnings: NIL

AREA PERIOD WIND STATE OF SEA

West Coast

Morning East to Southeast 3 to 4 Slight to Moderate

Afternoon Southeast 4 to 5, locally 5 Slight to Moderate

Night East to Southeast 4 Slight to Moderate

South Coast

Morning Northeast 4 to 5 Slight to Moderate

Afternoon Northeast to Southeast 3 to 4 Slight to Moderate

Night Northeast to East 3 to 4 Slight

East Coast

Morning Northeast 4 to 5 Moderate

Afternoon Northeast 4 Moderate

Night Northeast to East 4 Slight to Moderate

North Coast

Morning Northeast to Southeast 4 to 5, near the coast 3 to 4 Moderate, near the coast Slight to Moderate

Afternoon Northeast to Southeast 4 to 5 Slight to Moderate

Night Northeast to East 4 to 5 Moderate

‘These are truly outstanding results. Our university has been recognised as one of the leading universities in the world in six specific areas. This important distinction for our individual schools and for the university overall reflects our strong performance in teaching, learning, research, innovation and societal contribution’ noted Professor Philippos Pouyioutas, Rector of the University. ‘I extend my sincere congratulations and gratitude to the entire UNIC community, including our academic and administrative staff, as well as our students and alumni. The contribution of our Master’s and Doctoral students, particularly in research, has been especially significant for this achievement’, concluded Rector Pouyioutas.

Also commenting on the results, Professor Dimitris Drikakis, Vice President for Global Partnerships at the University of Nicosia (UNIC), highlighted the University’s exceptional performance. ‘UNIC’s performance in the THE Subject Rankings 2026 demonstrates sustained academic rigour and increasing research productivity across a broad disciplinary base. This year, UNIC is ranked in six subject areas confirming both depth and diversification of impact. Notably, UNIC is the only university in Cyprus ranked in Life Sciences, underscoring the maturation of our research ecosystem in strategically important domains. Across Cyprus, UNIC holds 1st place in Business and Economics and shares 1st place in Education Studies, Psychology, and Social Sciences, while also strengthening its comparative standing across Cyprus and Greece and within the European Union. These results reflect our commitment to research excellence, international collaboration, and a dynamic educational environment that contributes meaningfully to the global academic community’, he noted.

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings (THE WUR) is possibly the most influential university classification system globally, drawing on five decades of expertise in the sector and millions of individual data points.

These subject rankings are the latest in a succession of distinctions bestowed on UNIC by Times Higher Education, which notably includes ranking the University among the Top 501-600 universities worldwide in its flagship World University Rankings for 2026.

Weather Temperature for Cyprus

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

Date 23/01/2026

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)

14 (14)

8 (8.1)

73

Larnaka Airport

16 (16.3)

11 (10.6)

69

Limassol (New Port)

17 (16.6)

8 (7.7)

68

Limassol (Municipal Garden)

14,6

10,4

Pafos Airport

17 (17)

9 (9.4)

67

Frenaros

15 (14.6)

10 (10.4)

75

Prodromos

7 (7)

2 (1.5)

83

Polis Pafos

20 (19.7)

9 (8.6)

69

Cypriot scientist Constantinos Charalambous is the co-author of a research article that was published this week in the Science magazine on the reentry and disintegration dynamics of space debris tracked using seismic data.

The paper, signed by Benjamin Fernando and Constantinos Charalambous says in the abstract that the risks posed by reentering space debris continue to grow as Earth’s orbit becomes more crowded.

Currently, they add, responses to uncontrolled reentries are hampered by an inability to reliably track spacecraft once they are burning up within the atmosphere, meaning that debris fallout locations are poorly predicted.

“We have demonstrated a minimum-gradient fit seismic inversion methodology that allows in-atmosphere debris trajectory, speed, altitude, descent angle, size, and fragmentation pattern to be discerned relatively quickly” they note.

Moreover, they say that “we tested this methodology on open-source data from the 2024 reentry of Shenzhou-15, deriving a location significantly south of the predicted track”.

Observations of cascading, multiplicative fragmentation offer insight into debris disintegration dynamics, with clear implications for space situational awareness and debris hazard mitigation, they point out.

UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on Cyprus, María Ángela Holguín, will convene a joint meeting with the President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides, and the Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhrman, on January 28, the UN in Cyprus has announced.

Holguin will visit the island on January 26-29 and will also have on January 27 separate meetings with the two leaders. Moreover, on January 26, she will meet with the negotiators of the two sides.

According to a press statement by the UN spokesperson in Cyprus, the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General on Cyprus just concluded her visit to Brussels where she met with EU High Representative Kaya Kallas.

Holguin will then travel to Cyprus on 26 to 29 January 2026 and as part of her efforts, she will meet with the Negotiators of the Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriot leaders on 26 January, the spokesperson said.

As it is noted, she will then have separate meetings with the Greek Cypriot leader and the Turkish Cypriot leader on 27 January.

The following day, Holguín will convene a joint meeting between Tufan Erhrman and Nikos Christodoulides to follow-up on the meeting they held on 11 December 2025, the spokesperson said.

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.

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.

Cyprus recorded a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions intensity over the period 2013-2024, according to data released on Friday from the European Statistical Office (Eurostat), with the decrease reaching 28.9%.

Over the same period, greenhouse gas emissions across the EU economy fell by 20%, while gross value added increased by 20% as well. As a result, the EU’s overall greenhouse gas emissions intensity decreased by 34%.

According to Eurostat, moderate improvements were observed in countries such as Luxembourg (-14%), Lithuania (-18%), and Austria (-20%), while the largest reductions occurred in Estonia (-64%), Ireland (-50%), and Finland (-44%). In contrast, only Malta (+17%) saw an increase in emissions intensity compared with 2013.

Eurostat also reports that in 2024 total greenhouse gas emissions across the EU economy, including economic activities and households, amounted to 3.3 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent. This represents a 1% decrease compared with 2023 and a 20% reduction compared with 2013.

Data for 2024 show that Cyprus exhibits a distinct emissions profile by economic activity. The energy sector, covering electricity and gas supply, remains the largest source of emissions, accounting for over 40% of the country’s total emissions, following the pattern observed in Estonia.

Across other EU member states, emissions sources vary widely. In Latvia, agriculture accounts for around 30% of total emissions. In nine countries, manufacturing is the main emitter, while in six countries, transport and storage lead emissions, including Denmark, Malta, and Luxembourg, where the sector contributes over 50% of total emissions.

At the EU level, the electricity and gas sector recorded the largest improvement in emissions intensity per employment between 2013 and 2024, with a 53% drop. This was followed by the services sector (25%, excluding transport and storage) and manufacturing (20%).

In contrast, agriculture, forestry, and fishing saw an increase in emissions intensity per employment of 21%.

The improvement in the energy sector reflects a combined effect of an 8% rise in hours worked and a 49% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, highlighting the ongoing decarbonisation of the sector. Manufacturing shows a similar trend, although the changes in both emissions and employment are smaller.

The recovery of proceeds from crime, the return of illegally trafficked cultural goods and alternative approaches for young drug users will be at the centre of discussions on Friday at the Informal Council of EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers taking place in Nicosia, under the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

Opening the meeting, Cyprus Minister of Justice and Public Order, Costas Fytiris, said that the first item on the agenda was strengthening the ability to recover assets derived from criminal activities in a constantly evolving economic environment. He added that Ministers would also discuss restoring justice in cases of illegal cross-border trafficking of cultural goods, with particular emphasis on the return of cultural property that has been unlawfully removed. The meeting will conclude with a working lunch dedicated to promoting alternative treatment for young drug users who encounter the criminal justice system.

In doorstep statements upon arrival, EU ministers stressed the link between organised crime, drug trafficking, digital platforms and violence. Estonia’s Minister of Judicial and Digital Affairs, Liisa-Ly Pakosta, stressed the need for coordinated European action in the digital sphere, saying,

‘We consider it very important that the European Union unifies the forces to control the digital space,’ she said.

She noted that young people increasingly use digital platforms to access drugs and called for stronger EU oversight of large social media companies. Referring to cultural heritage, Pakosta said. ‘We need a unified action to get back the cultural heritage to the countries where the cultural heritage belongs and where it is part of the identity,’ she added, citing Estonia’s unresolved claims for cultural property taken by Russia during and after the Second World War, as well as similar cases concerning Ukraine.

Belgian Minister of Justice Annelies Verlinden thanked the Cypriot Presidency for placing drug trafficking high on the agenda, warning that criminal networks are fuelling violence and increasingly exploiting young people.

‘We see that there is an increase in the level of violence,’ she said, adding that youngsters are being drawn into the operations of drug cartels. Verlinden highlighted the difficulty of confiscating criminal assets, noting that ‘188 billion euros are circulating in the criminal work and only 2% of these illegal profits are being seized,’ and stressed the need for the EU to target the financial foundations of organised crime in order to dismantle its business model.

Spain’s Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with Parliament, Félix Bolaños, also addressed the meeting, expressing satisfaction with his participation in the informal Council in Cyprus and thanking the Cypriot authorities for their hospitality. He also conveyed condolences on behalf of the Spanish government to the families of the victims of the recent railway accident in Adamuz and wished a speedy recovery to the injured, noting that efforts to clarify the causes of the incident and restore services are ongoing.

CYPRUS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY

FORECAST FOR THE SEA AREA OF CYPRUS (B)

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 1200 23/01/2026 UNTIL 1200 24/01/2026

Area covered is 8 kilometers seawards.

Winds are in BEAUFORT scale. Times are local times.

Atmospheric pressure at the time of issue: 1013hPa (hectopascal)

Weak low pressure is affecting the area. In the evening, the weather will be mainly cloudy at times with local showers over the west and the north. Dust in suspension. Tonight and tomorrow morning, local showers and isolated thunderstorms are expected. In thunderstorm, hail is likely.

Visibility: Good, but moderate in showers

Sea surface temperature: 18°C

Warnings: NIL

AREA PERIOD WIND STATE OF SEA

West Coast

Afternoon East to Southeast 4 to 5, at times locally 5 Slight to Moderate

Night East to Southeast 4 to 5, locally 5 Slight to Moderate

Morning East to Southeast 4 to 5, gradually Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4 Slight to Moderate

South Coast

Afternoon Northeast to East 4 to 5, at times locally 5 Slight to Moderate

Night Northeast to Southeast 4 Slight to Moderate

Morning Northeast to Southeast 4, gradually Southwest to Northwest 3 to 4 Slight to Moderate

East Coast

Afternoon Northeast to East 4 to 5, locally 5 Moderate

Night Northeast to East 4 to 5, locally 5 Moderate

Morning Northeast to East 4 to 5, gradually 5 Moderate

North Coast

Afternoon Northeast to Southeast 4 to 5, locally 5 Moderate

Night Northeast to Southeast 5, at times offshore 5 to 6 Moderate

Morning Northeast to Southeast 4 to 5, near the coast 3 to 4 Moderate, near the coast Slight to Moderate

The Conference of Presidents of the European Committee of the Regions will hold its 238 meeting in Nicosia 9-10 February 2026, as Cyprus holds the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU.

According to a press release by the Union of Cyprus Municipalities, high-level guest speakers, experts and members of the Conference will discuss how digital innovation, research and blue technologies can strengthen the preparedness and resilience of Europe’s cities, regions and coastal communities.

They will also explore the key role that local and regional authorities play in promoting these solutions, implementing them on the ground and protecting their communities, in times of increasing environmental and social challenges.