The year 2026 will begin with a “landmark moment” for Cyprus, with the island taking on the Council of the European Union’s rotating presidency for a six-month term, President Nikos Christodoulides said in his New Year address on Wednesday.
“From tomorrow and for six months, our homeland assumes the presidency of the Council of the European Union. This is undoubtedly a moment of pride, a national mission, a huge responsibility to which I am certain we will respond successfully,” he said.
He said Cyprus will “work for an autonomous union, open to the world” during the six-month term, which will mark the second time since the country’s accession to the EU in 2004 that it has undertaken the role.
Away from the matter of the Council of the EU, he said that “the arrival of 2026 finds the Republic of Cyprus, as a result of our responsible fiscal policy, walking with confidence and pride on the path of economic growth”.
That economic growth, he said, has brought about “conditions of full employment, with zero inflation, with a significant reduction in public debt and with continuous upgrades by all international rating houses”.
“All of this translates into specific tangible results for the public, for the state, for our country,” he said. “It allows us a targeted social policy, allows us to invest substantially in education, health, housing, the welfare state, in all that improves the everyday life of the public.”
At the same time, he said, his government is “continuing the great effort to reconstruct and modernise the state of 1960”, and doing this through “bold reforms which strengthen transparency, accountability, and substantially improve the daily lives of the public”.
He added that this improvement will “improve contact” between ordinary people and the state, and improve standards of living, “while at the same time creating hope and prospects for the country’s young generation”.
“Precisely through this reasoning, we promoted emblematic reforms, such as the country’s tax transformation, which comes into effect tomorrow and which restores the balance between social justice and economic competitiveness, since the benefit returns directly to households, the middle class, families and businesses,” he said.
Additionally, he said, the government has “promoted reform for the evaluation of the educational service”, with reforms to the ways teachers are evaluated having been passed into law, while other reforms are also in the pipeline.
He referenced planned reforms to both the legal service and the audit office, as well as “the state’s digital transformation” and planned electoral reforms, including automatic voter registration and reducing the minimum age to vote from 18 to 17, as well as “many other policies, always to the benefit of the public”.
These other policies, he said, include plans to reform the pension system and bring about a “substantial increase in pensions”.
He then said that as he approaches the end of his third year in office since being elected president in 2023, “we are continuing with determination, with a clear plan, and with strong political will” with his government’s programme.
He added that his government is “working to implement an ambitious programme of governance” and made reference to the “five key priorities” he set out for the government after the cabinet reshuffle he enacted earlier in December.
The first priority, he said, is “an outward-looking foreign policy, with a clear European and western orientation, with strong defence and security”, while the second is “a resilient and strong economy”.
Third on the list is “the modernisation of the state through continuous reforms” while the fourth priority is “transparency, accountability, and the fight against corruption”, and the fifth and final priority is “the improvement of the everyday life of the public”.
“Truly, I am glad, because an assessment of what has been done to date confirms the consistency of words and deeds in the implementation of what we had promised prior to the election, but also since the election, which also constitutes our social contract with the Cypriot people,” he said.
He added that his government will “continue … with precisely the same seriousness and responsibility in 2026”, while “strengthening all our country’s factors of power, internal and external”.
“Internally, [we will be] facing the great challenge of immigration, strengthening our homeland’s deterrent power, establishing a rule of law, simplifying and abolishing procedures, faithfully serving our non-negotiable will for transparency, accountability, and the fight against corruption,” he said.
On the international stage, he repeated that his government will continue to have a “clear European and western orientation”, and said that it will “continue to walk the path of responsibility, assuming an active role as a pillar of security and stability in the wider Middle East region”.
To this end, he said that every act his government undertakes is geared towards “our highest priority, which is nothing other than the liberation and reunification of our homeland”.
He said that this reunification must take place “on the basis of United Nations resolutions, the agreements reached, and, of course, the principles and values of the European Union and the acquis communautaire”.
Since his election, he said, “we have been working on a specific plan, so that the talks can resume from where they were interrupted in 2017” at the Swiss ski resort of Crans Montana.
“I am truly happy because it was our own efforts which led to the substantial reactivation of the international community with the appointment of [UN envoy Maria Angela Holguin], the trilateral and multilateral conferences, the appointment, for the first time, of a European Commission envoy, and the clear and substantial interconnection of relations between Turkey and the EU and the Cyprus issue,” he said.
To this end, he said his government will “continue this great effort, without overlooking the difficulties and challenges, with the sole goal of reunifying our homeland through a functional and sustainable solution”.
“This is my promise, but also my obligation, and I am fully prepared to assume responsibility towards the Cypriot people, our displaced persons and enclaved people, and the relatives of the missing. Our goal is clear and our political will is strong and unquestionable. This is also my clear message towards our Turkish Cypriot compatriots and Turkey,” he said.
He concluded his remarks by returning to the matter of the Council of the EU’s rotating presidency, saying that from the beginning of 2026, “the flag of the Republic of Cyprus will be waving proudly on the highest mast in Europe”.
On this point, he said he is certain “that our homeland will continue to march forward with responsibility and self-confidence, both at home and abroad”.
“Happy new year to you all. Together, we are changing Cyprus, with a vision, strategic planning, and a clear plan.”
