Thirty schools, 58 teachers and approximately 400 students benefited from the European Parliament School Ambassador programme 2025-2026, which officially concluded with a ceremony on Friday evening.
The programme is organised by the European Parliament Office in Cyprus in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Youth.
This year’s event holds special significance, as it coincides with the tenth anniversary of the programme’s creation and provided an opportunity to review its progress and achievements.
During the school year, more than 450 activities and events were held as part of the programme, during which students and teachers collaborated with Members of the European Parliament, European institutions, and local organizations to promote understanding of parliamentary democracy, the values of the European Union, the functioning of European institutions, and the active participation of young people in civic life.
At the closing event, remarks were delivered by the Minister of Education, Sports, and Youth, Dr. Athena Michaelidou, Head of the European Parliament’s Office in Cyprus, Thea Pieridou, and Director of the European Parliament’s Liaison Offices, Stephen Clark.
In her speech, Pieridou noted that this year’s programme included 30 schools from all districts of Cyprus, 58 teachers, and approximately 400 students.
‘Throughout the year, students and teachers had the opportunity to represent Cyprus at European events in Rome and Madrid, while next week, teachers from the programme will visit Brussels to learn about the European institutions firsthand,” she said.
At the same time, she added, “students participating in the Euroscola programme will have the opportunity to find themselves at the heart of European democracy, take their seats in the European Parliament in Strasbourg, and experience what it’s like to be a European lawmaker alongside their peers from across Europe.’.
She also said that the European Parliament’s Office in Cyprus has consistently invested in the European dimension of the programme, offering students and teachers from all participating schools the opportunity to take part in educational activities and visits abroad, making Cyprus one of the very few countries -if not the only one-where all schools participating in the programme can benefit from such European experiences.
In her remarks, Michaelidou said that at a time when Cyprus is actively contributing to shaping European developments through its Presidency of the Council of the European Union, our responsibility toward the younger generation becomes even greater.
She also noted that this year holds special significance, as it marks the tenth anniversary of the implementation of the programme in Cyprus.
‘Over the past decade, the programme has evolved into a vital institution for European education and democratic citizenship, building strong bridges of communication between young people and European institutions. Thousands of students and teachers had the opportunity to gain an in-depth understanding of the principles, values, and functioning of the EU,” the Minister of Education said. “They had the opportunity to cultivate active participation and critical thinking, but above all to develop a sense of European citizenship,’ she added.
Addressing the teachers, Michaelidou said that the programme’s success would not have been possible without their guidance, inspiration, and dedication.
As she said, success of this programme ‘demonstrates what we can achieve when European institutions and the education sector collaborate with a shared vision.’
MEPs Michalis Hadjipantela (EPP), Costas Mavrides (S and D), and Geadis Geadi (ECR) attended the event and made brief remarks.
In his remarks, Hadjipantela said that he had visited schools in all the districts because he believes young people have a lot to say, adding that we must listen to them carefully because they are the future, and noting that what particularly impressed him was the keen interest shown by students at all grade levels in the role and significance of the EU in their lives.
Addressing the students Mavrides, told them that ‘our homeland is under partial occupation, and for this reason, go forth in your lives defending the Charter of Fundamental Rights for all European citizens, which must be applied in Cyprus from Apostolos Andreas to Akamas and from the Kyrenia Castle to Limassol.’
On his part, Geadi said that ‘it is an honour for us to have students who care about public affairs, students who read, students who get involved, students who make us proud in Europe,’ telling students at the same time that the EU is a Union of opportunities.
The Closing Ceremony of the ‘European Parliament School Ambassador’ Programme 2025-2026-10 Years of SPEK-was held under the auspices of the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union.