Migration Deputy Minister Nicholas Ioannides is traveling to Brussels Sunday to attend Justice and Home Affairs Council with asylum solidarity being a main issue on the agenda. During the Council, the Deputy Minister will present the work program of the upcoming Cyprus EU Presidency, to begin January 1st.
A press release says that Ministers will seek to reach an agreement on the annual ”solidarity pool”, the new mechanism that will lead to a fairer sharing of responsibilities in the field of asylum.
The solidarity mechanism will be implemented 12 June 2026, within the framework of the EU Pact on Migration and Asylum.
The Council seeks to get the support of member states on three EU legislation issues, namely the Return Regulation, which will lead to faster, simpler and more effective return procedures across the EU, as well as the concepts of safe third country and safe country of origin, which will also contribute to faster return procedures.
During the Council, the Deputy Minister will present the work program of the upcoming Cyprus EU Presidency, to begin January 1st and will take over the Presidency of the Council from his Danish counterpart.
On the sidelines of the Council’s work, and in view of the Cyprus Presidency, Ioannides will have bilateral meetings with the Spanish Minister of Integration, Social Security and Migration Elma Saiz, with the Deputy Minister of the Interior of France Marie-Pierre Vedrenne and the Minister of the Interior of Bulgaria Daniel Mitov.
On Wednesday the Deputy Minister will participate on behalf of Cyprus Republic in the 2nd High-Level Conference of the Global Alliance to Counter Migrant Smuggling and will have bilateral contacts.
The Deputy Minister returns home Thursday.