The Cyprus EU Presidency’s priorities aim to reinforce education as a cornerstone of a resilient, cohesive, competitive and innovative Europe, Minister of Education, Sport and Youth, Dr Athena Michaelidou said on Monday in her welcome speech at the high-level group meeting on Education and Training, held in Nicosia as part of Cyprus’ upcoming EU Presidency in the first half of 2026. The work of the Danish EU Presidency in the field of education, as well as an overview of the work of the Commission in recent months were also presented.
In her speech, read by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, George Panteli, Michaelidou notes that this is the first event of the incoming Cyprus Presidency in the field of Education and Training ‘and it therefore carries particular weight and meaning for us’, as it opens the cycle of educational activities that Cyprus will lead throughout its Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2026.
Cyprus, the Minister said, ‘will pursue a balanced and forward-looking agenda.’
She said that the Cyprus Presidency’s priorities include the advancement of negotiations on the Erasmus+ Regulation, with emphasis on accessibility and inclusion, but also ‘a decisive focus on strengthening the status and attractiveness of the teaching profession, particularly in the era of Artificial Intelligence’. Priorities also include, according to Dr Michaelidou, the promotion of a modern and dynamic vocational education and training sector aligned with emerging labour market needs, ‘and a renewed commitment to cooperation in higher education mobility.’
‘These priorities carry a clear strategic purpose: to reinforce education as a cornerstone of a resilient, cohesive, competitive and innovative Europe’, she said. ‘Our aim is to ensure that our systems remain inclusive, innovative, resilient, innovative and capable of meeting the evolving needs of all learners, especially those most in need’, the Minister added.
She noted that the policies Nicosia pursues should not remain on paper but ‘should transform into concrete actions for the benefit of learners all over Europe’.
According to the Minister, new generations ‘face unprecedented challenges: technological acceleration, climate disruption, social fragmentation and complex geopolitical realities’. ‘It is our collective duty to ensure they receive not only high-quality education, but also values, direction, confidence and hope’, she added. This responsibility, Michaelidou said, rests on every stakeholder in the educational ecosystem: governments, institutions, teachers and trainers, researchers and communities alike.
She also noted that this responsibility ‘feels especially present in Nicosia’. ‘Our city remains the last divided capital of Europe. Its division stands as a daily reminder of the fragility of peace and the obligation of dialogue. Yet this same city is a living testament to resilience, creativity and human capability. It embodies the belief that transformation is always within reach’, she noted.
The Minister also thanked the Danish Presidency ‘for its dedicated leadership over the past months’, adding that Cyprus ‘looks forward to building upon the work accomplished, in dialogue and partnership with all Member States, in an effort to help Europe advance its ambitious agenda in education and training.’
The Education Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, George Panteli, presented the work programme of the Cyprus Presidency in the fields of education and training.
‘Our Presidency is driven by the belief that education is both a foundation and a catalyst for a resilient, cohesive, competitive and innovative Europe. We will align our education priorities with the broader European agenda, to ensure that our citizens are well prepared to meet the challenges and opportunities of the future’, he said.
He said that the Cyprus Presidency will organise ‘a rich calendar’ of educational events to support its priorities, while that the events will offer multiple opportunities to deepen cooperation and exchange best practices on key educational challenges.
According to Panteli’s presentation, the events include an Informal Meeting of Education Ministers end of January in Nicosia, which, he said, will address teachers, the support for their professional development, their career attractiveness and their empowerment for the future.
He also referred to three ‘flagship events’ that will showcase the Cyprus Presidency’s ‘strong focus on increasing learners with the skills and competences they need to thrive in contemporary societies’. These are the 6th International Conference on Literacies and Contemporary Societies, to be held in February, a conference on the whole-school approach for education for sustainable development, scheduled for May, also in Nicosia and the ETF International Conference ‘Skills partnerships for VET reforms in the Mediterranean region’ in June, all of them in Nicosia.
Deputy Permanent Secretary of Denmark’s Ministry of Children and Education, Marie Juel Bech Nielsen, presented the work carried out by the Danish EU Presidency on education and training. She said, among other things, that the Danish Presidency started discussion on the Erasmus+ Regulation which will be discussed further during the Cyprus Presidency.
Antoaneta Angelova-Krasteva Director for Innovation, Digital Education and International Cooperation of the European Commission presented an overview of the work and achievements of the past months and referred to the way forward. She said that they would have the opportunity to discuss over the next two days a number of key topics which are important for boosting and continuing European cooperation, on education and training for skills, intelligence, STEM education, and the impact of AI.
Nicosia Mayor, Charalambos Prountzos, in his welcome speech, he said that meetings such as this one, ‘carry tremendous importance’, as they spark cooperation in uniting institutions, experts and stakeholders to shape the educational landscape of tomorrow. ‘More importantly, it is through these exchanges that policies are designed, and strategies are developed to ensure access to high quality education, lifelong learning pathways and meaningful professional growth for all’, he said.
Prountzos noted that Nicosia, as the capital of the Republic of Cyprus, has been closely linked with knowledge, culture and academic excellence for decades. It is not a coincidence, he added, that the city hosts most of the country’s universities, both public and private, and six centres of excellence under relevant EU calls. Nicosia currently hosts almost 50,000 students, Prountzos noted.