Category: Cyprus News Agency

President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, is in Brussels, where he will participate on Wednesday evening at the dinner of EU leaders with Egypt’s President, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in the context of the EU-Egypt Summit. On Thursday he will attend the European Council.

A statement by the Presidency says that earlier this evening, President Christodoulides will attend and address an event, ahead of the assumption of the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU by the Republic of Cyprus, with employees from Cyprus’ Permanent Representation in Brussels, and Cypriots working in EU institutions.

On Thursday morning, the President will participate in the Summit of the European People’s Party and subsequently he will have a meeting with like-minded leaders of EU member states on immigration, the announcement adds.

He will then participate in the work of the European Council Escort.

On Friday, October 24, the President of the Republic will depart for Cyprus.

According to the announcement, in Brussels the President of the Republic will be accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Constantinos Kombos, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis, the Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna, Director of the Press Office of the President Victoras Papadopoulos, Deputy Director of the Diplomatic Office of the President Nektarios Sotiriou and other officials.

FOR THE PERIOD FROM 0600 22/10/2025 UNTIL 0600 23/10/2025

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

Weak low pressure is affecting the area. The weather will be partly cloudy at times.

Visibility: Good

Sea surface temperature: 25°C

Warnings: NIL

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Southeast to Southwest 3, gradually South to Southwest

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Northwest to Northeast 3

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Variable 3

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New report shows progress in sustainable aviation fuel uptake across the EU

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) published its first annual report on the implementation of the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation today. The report provides a comprehensive overview of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) uptake across the EU in 2024 and assesses the market’s readiness to meet upcoming obligations under the Regulation.

According to the findings, implementation of ReFuelEU Aviation has already stimulated increased SAF production capacity within the EU. This positive trend confirms that the EU is on track to meet the overall mandatory SAF blending target in 2030, which is 6%.

The report confirms that almost all SAF used in 2024 was biofuel, produced from used cooking oil (81%) and waste animal fats (17%). This shows that the development of synthetic fuels (eSAF) remains in its early stages in the EU. The SAF market also remains concentrated: 25 fuel suppliers provided SAF to 33 EU airports across 12 Member States. However, airports in five Member States (France, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain, and Sweden) accounted for 99% of supply.

The Commission is currently preparing a Sustainable Transport Investment Plan (STIP), designed to boost investments in renewable and low-carbon transport fuels, including SAF.

Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas, said: ‘The EU is making steady progress in adopting sustainable aviation fuels, and the ReFuelEU Aviation Regulation is already helping to increase SAF production and use across Member States. Our focus now is on supporting the industry and Member States to ensure a smooth and fair transition to cleaner aviation fuels.”

For the next annual report, the data from 2025 will be used to assess whether ReFuelEU’s first blending mandate, the obligation to supply at least 2% of total aviation fuel as SAF in EU airports, has been met.

More information on key findings can be found in EASA’s press release.

(For more information: Anna-Kaisa Itkonen – Tel.: +32 2 295 75 01; Anni Juusola – Tel.: +32 2 296 09 86)

Commission approves pound 61.5 million Italian scheme to support cleantech manufacturing capacity, in line with Clean Industrial Deal objectives

The European Commission has approved a pound 61.5 million Italian scheme to support strategic investments that add manufacturing capacity in line with the objectives of the Clean Industrial Deal in the region of Emilia Romagna. This measure will contribute to the transition towards a net-zero economy. The scheme was approved under the Clean Industrial Deal State Aid Framework (CISAF) adopted by the Commission on 25 June 2025.

Under the scheme, the aid will take the form of direct grants, subsidised interest rates and loans. The scheme will be open to all companies that carry out investments in Emilia Romagna that add manufacturing capacity for the production of net-zero technologies listed in Annex II of the CISAF, as well as the production of the main specific components of these technologies. The scheme also includes aid to produce new or recovered critical raw materials necessary for the production of the final products or main specific components. The aid may be granted until 31 December 2030.

The Commission found that the Italian scheme is in line with the conditions set out in the CISAF. In particular, the aid will incentivise the production of clean technologies, as well as their main specific components and related critical raw materials, and it. Therefore, the Commission concluded that the scheme is necessary and appropriate to accelerate the transition towards a net-zero economy and facilitate the development of certain economic activities, which are of importance for the implementation of the Clean Industrial Deal. Finally, the Commission found that the scheme is proportionate, as the aid is limited to the minimum necessary and has a limited impact on competition and trade between Member States. On this basis, the Commission approved the Italian scheme under EU State aid rules.

More information on the CISAF can be found online. The non-confidential version of today’s decision will be made available under the case number SA.118614 in the State aid register on the Commission’s competition website once any confidentiality issues have been resolved.

(For more information: Guillaume Mercier – Tel.: +32 460 75 53 11; Luuk de Klein – Tel.: +32 229 94774)

First ever EU-Egypt Summit takes place in Brussels

Today, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will participate in the first EU-Egypt Summit held in Brussels, together with the President of the European Council António Costa, and the President of Egypt Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.

The Summit will take stock of bilateral relations and aims to deepen political and economic ties, as set out in the EU-Egypt Strategic and Comprehensive Partnership signed in March 2024.

The EU and Egypt will sign three agreements. These include the Memorandum of Understanding for second Macro-Financial Assistance to Egypt worth pound 4 billion; a Financing Agreement worth pound 75 million, which will support the implementation of socio-economic reforms at local level; and the Agreement formalising Egypt’s association to the Horizon programme. The agreements will be signed by Commissioners Valdis Dombrovskis, Dubravka Šuica and Ekaterina Zaharieva.

In the margins of the Summit, the Commission will host an EU-Egypt High-Level Event on investments, competitiveness and innovation. Participants will discuss how Egypt and the EU can deepen economic cooperation and unlock strategic investments, foster reforms, how to strengthen joint industrial competitiveness and how to benefit from Egypt’s association to Horizon Europe. More information on the event is available online.

Audiovisual coverage for the Summit will be provided on EBS this evening. President von der Leyen’s press statement with Presidents Costa and El-Sisi will be broadcast live, at around 19:40.

(For more information: Paula Pinho – Tel: +32 229-20815; Guillaume Mercier – Tel.: +32 229-80564)

President von der Leyen participates in Berlin Global Dialogue 2025

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will participate in the Berlin Global Dialogue (BGD) 2025 taking place from 23 to 25 October under the theme ‘Shifting Power, Shaping Prosperity.’ The event will explore how multipolarity can act as a catalyst for global growth and stability, and will bring together leaders from government, business, and academia. Valdis Dombrovskis, Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification, and Andrius Kubilius, Commissioner for Defence and Space, will also participate in the event.

On 25 October, President von der Leyen will deliver a keynote speech at around 11:30, which will be livestreamed.

On 23 October, Commissioner Dombrovskis will participate in a panel on ‘Smart Regulation for a Competitive Europe: Advancing Innovation through Simplification,’ alongside Katharina Reiche, Germany’s Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy. That same day, Commissioner Kubilius will join the panel ‘Securing Europe: Aligning Industry and Investment for a New Era of Defence’, with Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, and other high-level leaders. Both panels will be livestreamed. On the sidelines of the BGD, Commissioner Kubilius will hold a bilateral meeting with Nadia Calviño, President of the European Investment Bank. Still on Thursday, Commissioner Dombrovskis will also hold a bilateral meeting with Minister Reiche to discuss competitiveness and simplification measures in the energy sector.

On 24 October, Commissioner Dombrovskis will meet Karsten Wildberger, German Minister for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation, to discuss State modernisation in Germany and how this is linked to the Country-Specific Recommendations under the European Semester. They will also touch upon the digitalisation of the German economy, the Recovery and Resilience Facility, and simplification measures. Additionally, Commissioner Dombrovskis will meet Joachim Nagel, President of the German Federal Bank, to discuss the international role of the euro, euro area competitiveness, simplification of financial services, and the digital euro.

Only when mutual trust is built between the people and artificial intelligence, will the artificial intelligence have a chance to work properly for humankind, was the main conclusion of a roundtable discussion that took place during the second day of the China-Cyprus-Europe Media Forum, on Wednesday, in Nicosia, ?? cooperation and regulation of media development with AI empowerment.

Fu Xiaoguang, Professor at the Communication University of China, said that just as European media explore AI fact-checking and multilingual communication, Chinese media are also using technologies to address the challenges of content production efficiency and cross-cultural communication effectiveness.

He added that China’s practice has proved that the key to AI in empowering media is to make technological progression and value transmission resonate in unison.

In a video message, EBU News Digital Transformation Manager, Luis Jimenez, presented NEO, an AI chat conversational service that lets audience interact with news, ‘a living, breathing hub of journalism that grows richer with every new member’, and YEP News, ‘a multilingual website empowering young people to see Europe through many lenses, in many different languages’.

He specified that NEO relies on European-hosted language models with very strict safeguards to protect data as concerns around tech sovereignty grow.

Kuaishou Technology Vice President, Liu Zhen, said that the AI technology needs to be consistent, steady, and controllable, while the government institutions need to provide the framework of supervision.

We also need to educate the general public, the internet industry, no matter if it is used by the media, by the financial sector, or by the industry sector, and to ensure that everybody understands this in a better way, he continued, adding that ‘only when we have built the mutual trust between the people and the AI, will the AI have a chance to expand, to work properly for humankind’.

Elli Kodjamani, Chairwoman of the Cyprus Media Ethics Committee and Ant1 News Director, said that as the volume of AI-generated journalistic content grows rapidly every day, journalists and media ethics committees find themselves in deep concern.

She added that despite the growing impact of AI agents in the media field, human journalists remain unreplaceable, as they navigate uncertainty using their intuition and experience, discovering unexpected stories through serendipitous encounters.

‘Fact-checking, human oversight essential, and of course the ethical approach where humans are irreplaceable. So we need to cooperate in order to find the right way to keep AI by our side and a tool, but not replacing journalists in media’, she stressed.

Zhou Jiying, Vice Director of the Global Times Online Strategic Development Center, said that China’s AI industry output exceeded 116.5 billion euros in 2024, while by May 2025, 1,509 large AI models have been publicly released, the most in the world, with Chinese media also keeping forging ahead in the AI sector.

She also said that last July China proposed the Global AI Governance Action Plan, calling on all parties to take concrete and effective actions in advancing global AI development.

Finally, George Pleios, Communication and Media Studies Professor at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, said that we are living the era of multi-pluralism, which means to share the global space again, but in a different way, compared to the last 30 years.

Every time we enter a new era, we need a new contract, he noted, ‘a new information order, which should include a more equitable global regulation of information flow, based on the principles of cultural democracy, not only between the states, but also between different parts of every single state and also different groups of the population’.

President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides presented on Wednesday evening his six-point plan for Gaza, based on the initiative of US President Donald Trump, to the leaders of the EU member states and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi during a working dinner held as part of the first-ever EU-Egypt Summit in Brussels.

According to information, President Christodoulides outlined the proposals of the Cypriot plan, highlighting the role Cyprus can play in implementing the US peace initiative for Gaza. He clarified that Cyprus does not seek a political mediation role but rather to provide functional support to ensure Gaza’s viability while respecting Israel’s security concerns.

The Cypriot proposal, he said, is structured around six operational pillars and builds on the experience gained from the ‘Amalthea’ initiative, (Cyprus initiative for a sea humanitarian aid corridor to Gaza) which operates through a bilateral security mechanism in cooperation with the United Arab Emirates and the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS).

During his remarks, the President praised Egypt’s crucial stabilising role in efforts to promote peace in Gaza and the wider Middle East.

Referring to the new Mediterranean Pact, President Christodoulides stressed that this new EU strategy for the Southern Neighbourhood establishes a framework of cooperation that goes beyond traditional development assistance, aiming to transform the Mediterranean into a strategic bridge linking Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The Pact was formally endorsed on 16 October 2025 by the College of Commissioners, setting in motion a new era of cooperation based on strategic integration rather than aid dependency.

He added that implementing the Pact and strengthening EU-Southern Neighbourhood relations, including with Egypt, will be a key priority of the upcoming Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Concluding, President Christodoulides noted that the EU should support Egypt’s macroeconomic stability in coordination with the International Monetary Fund, taking into account the Union’s strategic interests in the region.

Department of Meteorology

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

Date 22/10/2025

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)

32 (31.7)

14 (14)

24

Larnaka Airport

29 (28.5)

18 (18.2)

63

Limassol (New Port)

28 (28.2)

16 (16)

60

Limassol Garden

30,6

17,4

Pafos Airport

28 (28.1)

18 (17.8)

68

Frenaros

31 (30.6)

17 (17.4)

43

Prodromos

22 (21.7)

13 (12.7)

48

Polis Pafos

27 (26.5)

17 (17.4)

63

Cyprus President, Nikos Christodoulides, referred to the role the country seeks in the proposed ‘international stabilisation force’ in Gaza, in an interview with Euronews, in Brussels, during which he referred to the Republic of Cyprus’ six-point plan for Gaza.

According to Euronews, in an interview with ‘The Europe Conversation’ programme, President Christodoulides elaborated on how Cyprus wants to repurpose its ‘Amalthea’ humanitarian maritime corridor to support Gaza’s future reconstruction.

‘Cyprus has presented a ‘very specific’ six-point plan on Gaza’s recovery to the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, ahead of a gathering of EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday’, it said, noting that President Christodoulides, discussed the details ‘for the first time’ in the interview.

Cyprus’ six-point plan is to focus on aid, security and reconstruction, it said, adding that it involves repurposing the ‘Amalthea’ corridor to both ‘extract rubble’ from the territory and deliver materials for its eventual reconstruction.

‘When (…) the conditions are there, reconstruction should start. And that is why point three of our proposal is the rubble removal and reconstruction enabling. This is the role that Cyprus can play: development of maritime routes for rubble extraction and inbound construction materials into Gaza in order to support Gaza’s rebuilding’ President Christodoulides said, according to Euronews.

He also said that Cyprus is willing to leverage its strategic position as a bridge between the EU and the Middle East to play a leading role in Gaza’s future.

Aside from reconstruction, Euronews added, ‘Cyprus’ plan is broadly structured along two other main lines: humanitarian aid and security’.

‘It aims to support the delivery of humanitarian aid, the screening of ‘dual-use goods’ (items that can be used both in civilian and military contexts), and the training of Palestinian security forces’, it also said.

‘Cyprus is also aiming for a role in Trump’s proposed ‘international stabilisation force’ (tasked with disarming Hamas and maintaining stability in Gaza, among others), which is expected to comprise Arab and international partners’, it said.

All six points, it added, are pegged to eight separate elements of US President Donald Trump’s broader 20-point plan, including those that refer to humanitarian assistance, economic recovery, reconstruction and future governance.

President Christodoulides, noted, however, that rebuilding Gaza can only start when the ‘right political conditions’ are there. He added that there is ‘no other alternative right now’ to the Trump-led ceasefire peace plan, Euronews said.

On the upcoming Cyprus EU Presidency, starting in January, it notes that President Christodoulides said that one of its major priorities is to ‘bring the EU closer to the Middle East and the greater Middle East’.

President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides paid a visit on Wednesday evening to the newly renovated building of the Permanent Representation of Cyprus to the European Union in Brussels, just 70 days before Cyprus assumes the Presidency of the Council of the EU.

He also described the Cyprus EU Presidency as a golden national opportunity “to once again prove that our footprint is not measured by the square kilometers of our homeland, but by the seriousness, professionalism, dedication, and reliability with which we serve the common European interest”.

«From January 1, 2026, for 181 days, our homeland, Cyprus-the last EU member state still under occupation-will take the helm of the Council of the EU and become the voice of all 27 member states,» the President underlined. He also expressed «the same pride» he had in 2012 when he served as the Spokesperson for the first Cypriot EU Presidency, assuring that this unique and invaluable experience remains with him to this day.

Referring to the impact of the Cypriot EU Presidency, President Christodoulides stressed that «we will negotiate, as honest mediators, over 300 legislative and other files, including the crucial Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). We will chair more than 180 working groups and around 40 Council configurations. Cyprus will also host 19 informal Ministerial Councils and 85 high-level meetings, culminating in the informal European Council in April. Overall, over 250 meetings will be hosted across free Cyprus.»

«The Presidency is undoubtedly a tremendous challenge, a large-scale organizational endeavor with very high demands. Above all, however, it is a golden national opportunity for our country to once again prove that our footprint is not measured by the square kilometers of our homeland, but by the seriousness, professionalism, dedication, and reliability with which we serve the common European interest,» he added.

Describing it as a «national mission that serves the credible presence and promotion of our homeland, the Republic of Cyprus, in the European landscape», President Christodoulides positioned Cyprus as an outward-looking member state at the core of the EU, with a now strong economy and a voice and role in Brussels affairs.

«The building of our Representation is not just a space; it is its people and their stories. It is part of our country’s journey, Cyprus’s journey in the EU. Here, 21 years ago, we had the experience of the accession to the EU-the greatest diplomatic achievement of our country since its founding in 1960. Here, we experienced our first Presidency of the Council of the European Union 14 years ago,» the President said.

«And here, we continue daily, with all of you as protagonists, to prove in practice our role as an effective, reliable, and proud member state of the European Union with a voice and a role.»

Addressing the staff of the Permanent Representation, he described them «the heart and soul of our Representation” and expressed his gratitude for their significant work, both for the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU and as the “most worthy representatives of our country in the EU”.

The President also expressed pride in the role and work of Cypriots in EU institutions: «You are the face of our country in the institutions of the European Union. Every day, through your work and ethos, you project the best image of our country in the institutions.»

The reception was attended among others by Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos, Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna, Labor Minister Yiannis Panayiotou, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis, Cypriot Member of the European Court of Auditors Lefteris Christoforou, and Director of the President’s Press Office, Viktoras Papadopoulos.

More than 13,000 runners from 85 countries are to participate this year in the 8th Radisson Blu Larnaka International Marathon, which will take place on November 16th, along the Finikoudes seafront avenue. Runners of all ages will take part in the popular sporting event.

Speaking at a press conference held Wednesday at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Larnaka, Mayor Andreas Vyras said, that when this event was launched they had not imagined that ‘it would evolve to the point of hosting thousands of runners from dozens of different countries’. ‘The Marathon is not only a sporting event but also a cultural and tourism event that promotes Larnaka internationally’, he added.

Within just eight years, he said, ‘the Marathon has placed the city of Larnaka on the global map of major sports events and has become one of the largest – if not the largest – sports events in Cyprus.’

Makis Nicolaou, General Manager of the Radisson Blu Hotel, noted that ‘the Radisson Blu Larnaka International Marathon began in 2017 and has become a point of reference not only for Larnaka but for the whole of Cyprus’. He added that last year the event attracted more than 12,000 runners from 85 countries.

Constantinos Daltas, Executive Director of the Radisson Blu Larnaka International Marathon, said that ‘in its eighth year, the Larnaka Marathon continues to inspire and unite people of all ages and backgrounds’.

He noted that this year’s event ‘is expected to set a new attendance record, with more than 13,000 runners from 85 countries, and a national record participation in the Marathon race, ‘with over 1,000 marathon runners’ taking on the main race.

During the press conference, organisers also unveiled the official Larnaka Marathon medal, a creation by Cypriot artist Theodoros Kakoullis.

Minister of Labour and Social Insurance, Yiannis Panayiotou, has stressed the importance of the tripartite social cooperation at national and European level for addressing the challenges and exploiting prospects.

According to an official press release, Panayiotou participated in the Tripartite Social Summit, held in Brussels, on growth and employment. The Summit was co-chaired by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Council Antonio Costa, and heads of the European Social Partner Organizations.

The Cypriot Minister coordinated the discussion among social partners on enhancing productivity, quality jobs and affordable housing.

In his intervention he underlined the importance of the tripartite social cooperation at national and European level for the collective management of challenges and the collective exploitation of emerging prospects, the press release said.

The Minister also referred to Cyprus’ readiness to assume the upcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union focusing on the promotion of the implementation of European policies for the upgrading of professional skills and for quality jobs, as well as the contribution to the planning for affordable housing.