Centre-right European leaders have backed efforts to restart negotiations on the Cyprus problem and welcomed progress on the island’s bid to join the Schengen area, as well as urging Turkey to respect democratic standards.
In a statement issued after a European People’s Party (EPP) meeting in Brussels, ahead of the European Council summit, the leaders said they supported President Nikos Christodoulides’ efforts to resume talks and to convene an enlarged conference aimed at resolving the Cyprus issue.
They also welcomed the positive outcome of the European Commission’s assessment of Cyprus’s bid for full Schengen membership, and the start of discussions on the matter in the Council. The leaders said they supported the timely completion of the remaining steps, which they described as a set priority for the 2026-2027 Schengen cycle.
On Turkey, the EPP said it had offered Ankara a constructive partnership but expected democracy, the rule of law and good neighbourly relations to be respected. The leaders expressed “full solidarity” with Greece and Cyprus in their discussions with Turkey.
They praised the Cypriot government’s efforts to restart meaningful negotiations and welcomed the UN secretary-general’s initiative to call an enlarged meeting involving all parties. Stability and closer co-operation within Nato in the eastern Mediterranean were of the “utmost importance” to the EU, they added.
On security and defence, the leaders said they backed practical steps to make Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union, the mutual assistance clause, operational, with the aim of improving co-ordination, information sharing and flexibility in military mobility.
They also supported proposals for a European Security Council as a forum for strategic co-ordination and crisis response, while respecting traditions of neutrality. The leaders said such initiatives would complement Nato and strengthen Europe’s contribution to collective security.