On 30 and 31 October 2025, the Trans European Policy Studies Association (TEPSA), the Cyprus Center for European and International Affairs (CCEIA), and the Department of Politics and Governance of the University of Nicosia will hold a high-level conference in Nicosia to discuss the priorities of the Cypriot Council Presidency. The Conference is supported by the European Union, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) and the Cyprus Forum.
On 1 January 2026, Cyprus will succeed Denmark in holding the presidency of the Council of the European Union. With the rise of Russia’s hybrid threats in Europe and a tumultuous relationship with the United States, the EU’s path towards strategic resilience and preparedness needs to be strengthened.
The Cypriot Pre-Presidency Conference (PPC) will be an opportunity to assess how the current global landscape affects both Europe and Cyprus itself, particularly as the island stands at the crossroads of regional tensions. Several policymakers, key figures from academia and civil society from Cyprus and other countries will participate. These include Nikolas A. Ioannidis, Deputy Minister of Migration and International Protection of the Republic of Cyprus, Theodoros Gkotsis, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, and the Ambassadors of France and Greece to Cyprus.
‘Cyprus will assume the Council Presidency amid heightened geopolitical tensions and fundamental debates about the EU’s future. As security concerns dominate the European agenda, the continued Turkish occupation of the northern part of Cyprus must not be overlooked. Furthermore, at a time when democratic erosion and Euroscepticism threaten the European project, this Conference offers an essential forum for examining how Cyprus can strengthen European security, stability, and prosperity’ states Andreas Theophanous, President of CCEIA.
Commenting on the significance of the Cypriot Presidency, TEPSA’s Executive Director, Mariam Khotenashvili, said ‘The Cypriot Presidency of the Council will need to strive not only for EU unity, but also for sufficient and timely action: on Palestine, on additional EU support to Ukraine, on competitiveness. The challenge is not only to find compromises, but to do what is needed so that EU values and interests are defended.’
The Conference will feature the following panels: ‘TEPSA’s recommendations and perspectives on the objectives of the Trio Presidency (Poland – Denmark – Cyprus)’; ‘The EU as a global power?’; ‘European Security Challenges’; ‘Perspectives on EU enlargement’; ‘Democracy and the role of European citizens’; ‘What socioeconomic paradigm for Europe?’; ‘Energy challenges and green development/transition’, and concluding remarks.
Notes to editors
The ‘Pre-Presidency Conference’ is a flagship initiative of the Trans European Policy Studies Association. These high-level discussions have become a staple of the European political year ever since the first one ahead of the Irish Presidency in 1975.
The Cypriot PPC will take place on 30-31 October at the UNESCO Amphitheatre of the University of Nicosia (Makedonitissis 46).
The conference is co-organised by TEPSA, CCEIA, and the Department of Politics and Governance of the University of Nicosia, and supported by the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI), the Cyprus Forum, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus.
Registrations for the conference are open at the following link. An agenda of the conference can be found here. All panel discussions will be livestreamed on TEPSA’s YouTube channel.
For press enquiries and interview requests, please contact Barbara Vanotti (+32493290659), TEPSA’s Communications Manager.