European Economic
and Social Committee
EESC PLENARY: Civil society welcomes Cyprus Presidency programme and urges its full involvement
A discussion at the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) plenary revealed close alignment between the Cyprus Presidency’s priorities and the Committee’s own work programme. The Cyprus Presidency’s five priorities are: security and preparedness, competitiveness, openness to the world, a Union of values that leaves no one behind, and a robust long-term EU budget for an autonomous Union.
Following a presentation by Cyprus’s Deputy Minister for European Affairs, Marilena Raouna, EESC members discussed the presidency’s priorities, which are encapsulated by the presidency’s motto An Autonomous Union. Open to the World.
EESC President Séamus Boland noted, The priorities of the Cyprus Presidency resonate closely with my
programme
, which focuses on opportunity, security and resilience, with the fight against poverty at its core.
Deputy Minister Marilena Raouna underlined the importance of early and close cooperation with organised civil society: Employers, workers and civil society organisations must remain at the heart of European policy-making.
Civil Society Organisations’ Group President Cillian Lohan stated: We support the programme, which addresses the key topics in today’s stressed geopolitical context. The full involvement of civil society is essential for us. That is why we continue, more than ever, to call for stronger and more systematic participation of civil society in all major European policies. In this respect, we welcome and strongly support the Cyprus Presidency's focus on implementing the
Democracy package
.
Other members of the Civil Society Organisations' Group took the floor:
The president of the EESC’s ECO section, Elena Calistru, commended Cyprus’s outreach to organised civil society but also recognised that the Cyprus Presidency had a tough file ahead – the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF 028-2034): Here is where flexibility matters, but not at the expense of cohesion, participation and trust. A strategic budget needs real resources and strong civil society.
Ionuț Sibian referred to the AgoraEU programme and asked whether the Cyprus Presidency might support the EESC’s request to establish a formal group for civil dialogue. We believe civil society should be part of the dialogues during the implementation of the Agora programme.
Juraj Sipko pointed out that: We are operating under a high level of uncertainty. We are losing the multilateralism we have been building for more than 80 years, so we urge the presidency to consider this as a guiding principle for the liberalisation of trade, the flow of capital, the movement of people and the standard of living worldwide.
Orlando Monteiro da Silva emphasised that: There is a clear strategic gap: diplomacy should be a beacon guiding the Cyprus Presidency priorities. This is a way to calm things down while we prepare to act, to mitigate conflicts and promote certainty. It means consistent and reliable communication. This would not reduce the existing priorities, but it is essential for an independent and autonomous Union.
Read the EESC’s press release: https://www.eesc.europa.eu/en/news-media/press-releases/cyprus-presidency-highlights-partnership-eesc-and-organised-civil-society
Watch the debate at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/streaming/?event=20260122-0900-SPECIAL-OTHER