In a lively discussion at the European Parliament’s Committee on the Internal Market and Consumer Protection (IMCO) in Brussels on Tuesday morning, Cyprus Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Nikodimos Damianou presented the priorities of his portfolio in the context of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
The session was also attended by Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry Michalis Damianos.
The Deputy Minister underlined the crucial role played by the IMCO Committee in shaping and implementing EU internal market policies, stressing ‘how we regulate the relevant activities, how we enforce the rules and how we protect consumers online.’
He emphasised that safeguarding this foundation is essential in order ‘to ensure that markets remain fair, enforceable, consumer-centred and fit for the digital age.’
He also pointed out that a truly single market directly affects ‘the integrity, sustainability and effectiveness of the market itself, and the services we deliver for our citizens.’
Presenting the structure of the Cyprus Presidency’s digital agenda, he said it is built around three strategic pillars: strengthening Europe’s digital capabilities, capacity and technological leadership; reinforcing cyber-resilience, safety and trust in the digital environment; and, third, engaging globally through strong international partnerships.
As he noted, these pillars reflect the ‘open’ dimension of the Presidency’s motto and are directly linked to the ambition of building a competitive and digitally sovereign Europe.
He explained that this approach is closely connected to the need for a truly competitive digital single market. This requires ‘modern digital infrastructure, seamless cross-border activity and regulatory frameworks that enable business.’
He placed particular emphasis on startups and scale-ups, noting that it is crucial ‘for them to scale across the Union and become global leaders.’
In this context, he stressed that simplifying administrative procedures and the regulatory environment is key, stating that this would be ‘the number one point I want to make during the Cyprus Presidency.’
He added that Cyprus intends to follow in the footsteps of its Polish and Danish predecessors, maintaining an ‘active and swift pace’ in advancing all digital simplification files, the so-called Omnibus packages.
Referring specifically to the AI Omnibus and the Artificial Intelligence Act, he said that, despite the proposed postponement of the application of certain rules for high-risk systems, ‘the Presidency is firmly committed to advance quickly and to contribute to a swift conclusion of inter-institutional negotiations.’
Damianou assured that Cyprus will work pragmatically to build consensus among Member States in order to ensure ‘the effective, credible and timely application of the AI Act, without compromises on the principle of risk management.’ He also stressed that this approach is fully aware of ‘the substantial risks arising from the use of AI.’
At the same time, he made clear that digital simplification will not come at the expense of the Union’s overall digital ambition. As he put it, ‘we consider simplification a key catalyst for competitiveness,’ and the Presidency intends to follow ‘a pragmatic agenda, with a focus on reducing red tape and providing relief, especially for service providers,’ without adopting a broad deregulation approach.
The second pillar of the programme concerns safety, trust and the integrity of the digital single market. Damianou noted that while digital technologies have provided unprecedented opportunities for our societies, they have also created ‘significant challenges,’ particularly in the new digital reality.
With MEPs themselves insisting on the issue in their interventions, he placed particular emphasis on the protection of minors, underlining that children now spend ‘an increasing part of their lives in front of digital screens,’ where they are potentially exposed to harmful and inappropriate content.
He argued that ‘further measures are needed to ensure better and more targeted protection.’
He recalled that the EU already has a strong regulatory framework in place, such as the Digital Services Act (DSA), the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, the AI Act and the Better Internet for Kids+ programme, but added that ‘significantly more still needs to be done.’
In this context, he welcomed the Commission’s related announcement and the recently published guidelines under Article 28 of the DSA on the protection of minors online. He stressed that in the Council there is ‘broad consensus that it is important to consider setting a minimum age for access to social media’ and that more concrete measures are needed.
He described as critical the Commission’s initiative to develop an age-verification system based on the European Digital Identity framework, as this would create ‘a common technical mechanism that will substantially facilitate enforcement.’
The Cyprus Presidency, he said, is committed to strengthening EU action to protect minors online by promoting ‘a coordinated and holistic approach’ across all relevant policy areas.
He acknowledged, however, the complexity of the issue and explained that the objective is ‘to break down silos’ through enhanced cooperation between different working parties, mapping all relevant legislation and bringing together all stakeholders, in order to shape ‘a coherent, inclusive and impactful EU-wide strategy.’
In closing, he noted that the priorities of the Cyprus Presidency reflect ‘a broader political choice.’ The two main pillars he presented are, as he said, ‘mutually reinforcing’ and form a coherent approach to Europe’s strategic autonomy and competitiveness, firmly anchored in the core values of fairness, trust, inclusion and social responsibility.
He stressed that ‘a digital single market that delivers economic value but fails to protect consumers or undermines social cohesion would fall short of our ambitions.’ Concluding, he said he looks forward to working closely with the European Parliament, and in particular with the IMCO Committee, as well as with the European Commission and all Member States, in a spirit of shared responsibility and cooperation, to advance these objectives.