European Union leaders meet today at Alden Biesen castle to discuss how to make the bloc more competitive as Cyprus pushes for immediate and measurable action during its EU presidency.
President Christodoulides will attend the all-day informal summit at the castle in Rijkhoven, Belgium, where leaders aim to strengthen the production base, strategic autonomy and resilience of the European economy.
Before the summit starts, he will join a group of European leaders discussing competitiveness at the first meeting of its kind at heads of government level, called on the initiative of Italy, Germany and Belgium.
The summit will begin with discussions between leaders and the European Parliament president, followed by special working sessions featuring former Italian prime ministers Mario Draghi and Enrico Letta.
The two will present their reports on enhancing European competitiveness and deepening the single market.
The competitiveness discussion is extremely important for Cyprus, government sources told Phileleftheros.
Nicosia’s position is that decisions taken must lead to immediate and measurable results, as happened with initiatives pushed forward in security and defence in recent months, the sources said.
President Christodoulides has noted several times recently that the Cypriot Presidency has placed competitiveness high on its priorities, seeking tangible progress on files that directly affect the European economy, businesses and citizens.
Today’s summit is particularly important as strengthening EU competitiveness and accelerating related policy and legislative initiatives are central priorities of Cyprus’s EU Council Presidency.
During the presidency, every possible effort will be made to advance a specific and targeted agenda, with emphasis on the single market, simplifying the regulatory framework and the Union’s trade policy, according to the government.
Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna highlighted the Cypriot Presidency’s role in advancing European competitiveness in an address yesterday to a European Parliament debate in Strasbourg on urgent actions for reviving EU competitiveness and deepening the single market.
Raouna stressed that competitiveness is directly linked to European strategic autonomy.
Cyprus assumed the presidency in a period of increased uncertainty and mounting geopolitical and economic tensions, she said.
“Strengthening European competitiveness is vital, it is the cornerstone of our economic development, social progress and our long-term sustainable prosperity,” Raouna said.
Competitiveness is a precondition for European independence and a key priority for the Cypriot Presidency, which has placed Europe’s strategic autonomy at the centre of its actions as the necessary next step of European integration, she said.
She also stressed the need to maintain social cohesion alongside economic prosperity.
The EU faces pressures from both outside and inside the Union, Raouna said. Externally, pressures manifest mainly through the weaponisation of dependencies, whilst internally the bloc faces pressures from the fragmentation of the single market and its obstacles at both national and European level, she said. “It is vital to act boldly and act now,” she said.
Raouna referenced work already done following the reports by Enrico Letta and Mario Draghi in 2024, noting that significant work has been done on both the single market and competitiveness.