The Cypriot president said on Tuesday that his government is seeking a “significant” position as Cyprus already has 20 years of experience in the EU and will once again lead the EU Council in 2026, POLITICO reports.
The new Brussels portfolio, proposed by recently reappointed Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, will deal with economic issues as well as human trafficking and migration from North Africa.
Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis told POLITICO in a separate interview this week that he also sees value in the role, though he stopped short of saying he would like a Greek to fill it. Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said:
We can contribute to issues related to shipping and the Mediterranean.
Von der Leyen’s plan to create a separate portfolio to deal with the Mediterranean follows lobbying on the issue by Cyprus, he added. Adding that he has discussed some other portfolios with the Commission president, he also said:
It is after our own urgings that the President felt the need to have a commissioner to deal exclusively with this. We will have to see in practice what the Mediterranean portfolio means, what are the powers, what are the responsibilities, what is the scope of engagement.
Von der Leyen will spend the next few weeks assessing who she wants to fill the positions in her new Commission. EU governments have been invited to nominate candidates to be interviewed by von der Leyen, who will then select those she wants. Closed-door negotiations are now underway over which countries will get the most influential posts in the new Commission.
Christodoulides said his government should get an “important” portfolio. He noted:
We are no longer a new member state, we have 20 years of experience, we have held a presidency and in the first half of 2026 we will hold the second presidency of the Council of the EU. We now want a portfolio where we believe that the representative of the Republic of Cyprus will have added value.
Significant date
This year is symbolic for the island in the eastern Mediterranean: it marks half a century since Turkish troops invaded Cyprus in response to a Greek-backed coup, as well as 20 years since it became a member of the EU.
Christodoulides said that after five decades, there is momentum to restart talks to resolve the dispute with Turkey, even though the island’s division into a Greek Cypriot south and Turkish north is more entrenched than ever. Offering to take “bold steps” in the coming months, he said:
We cannot afford to wait for a new effort, a new initiative. We have seen from what is happening in Gaza that there are no frozen conflicts. At any moment, an incident can lead to a flare-up in Cyprus and affect the region. The non-solution of the Cyprus problem is not a solution.
Ankara does not recognise the Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state that is internationally recognised as the sole sovereign authority over the entire island.
Numerous attempts to find a compromise solution have failed over the years, most recently in 2017 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland; formal talks have not resumed since. This is the longest period without dialogue.
On Saturday’s anniversary of the invasion from the north, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dashed hopes of renewed talks and reiterated his support for a two-state deal. He repeated that stance on Wednesday.
Christodoulides reiterated his call for a stronger role for the bloc in Cyprus talks and for the appointment of an EU politician to resolve the issue. He added:
Where there is still disagreement with Turkey, the answer lies in the EU. EU involvement will result in a solution that benefits both the EU and Turkey.
