European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen thanked Cyprus on Friday for its operational readiness to aid possible evacuation operations from Lebanon and for its ‘successful work’ to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza for months.
She also stressed the EU would support Cyprus to tackle the impact of climate change, but also on the migration issue, noting that Brussels would continue building strategic relations with third countries of origin and transit with a key focus on the Mediterranean.
Von der Leyen, who is in Cyprus to participate in the 11th Summit of Mediterranean Member States of the European Union (MED9) hosted in Paphos, said that discussions there will help prepare two upcoming meetings: the European Council and the first-ever EU-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit.
‘It is important that the unique experience and viewpoints of the Mediterranean Member States are reflected in those meetings,’ she added.
Referring to the agenda of the Summit, von der Leyen said that first, they will discuss th
e Middle East. ‘This is particularly important in the current situation. Iran’s recent massive ballistic missile attack against Israel constitutes a serious escalation and threat to regional stability,” she noted.
“I would like to reiterate our call for a cessation of hostilities as soon as possible to create space for a diplomatic solution along the Blue Line’ the European Commission President said, noting that this must be consistent with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.
Von der Leyen thanked “Cyprus for its operational readiness to aid possible evacuation operations from Lebanon’, and ‘for your successful work to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza for months.’
The Commission President also noted that they would meet with the King of Jordan.
‘For us, Jordan is a strategic partner. In this crisis, Jordan plays a pivotal role in the stability in a volatile and complex MENA region’, she said. Von der Leyen also noted that ‘beyond this crisis, Jordan is an important friend and, as I have s
aid, a strategic partner for the European Union’. She said that that they will ‘take the opportunity to discuss our bilateral partnership.’
‘I met King Abdullah two weeks ago at the UN General Assembly in New York. And I assured him of the European Union’s long-term support to prosperity and reforms in Jordan,’ she added.
At the Summit they will also discuss European priorities for the next five years, she said.
‘We have a broad agenda, as you can imagine. Our first priority is competitiveness. We do not only want Europe to catch up – but to lead, globally,” she added.
For this, she pointed out, “we of course have homework to do.” “Whether it is cutting red tape, so that our SMEs and our industries can work better. Or whether it is bringing down energy prices – we have been successful in lowering energy prices, but they are still structurally too high. Whether it is training and education for people for the new tasks ahead or for example the mobilisation for innovation,’ von der Leyen said.
She also said
that they want to talk about ‘another priority’, which is migration.
Migration, she said, was ‘a European challenge that requires European solutions’, noting that joint efforts on migration were starting to pay off.
‘If you look at the figures of irregular arrivals in the first eight months of this year: The Central Mediterranean route – historically one of the busiest – saw a decrease of 64%. We also saw a 75% drop on the Balkans route’, she noted.
Von der Leyen added that migratory routes are constantly evolving, however, adding that they see now a surge of arrivals to Greece and the Spanish Canary Islands.
‘So, this requires constant effort and constant attention. Our Migration and Asylum Pact is our common roadmap for that. We must now focus on making the Pact a reality on the ground’, she added, noting that the Commission was ready to provide the necessary support for this to its Member States.
‘In parallel, we will continue our operational work. In other words, we will keep supporting our Member St
ates to reinforce border surveillance, fight smugglers and work on returns’, she said.
Noting that Cyprus ‘has made good progress on returns’ she said the Commission would continue building strategic relations with third countries of origin and transit, ‘with a key focus on the Mediterranean’.
‘We have seen with Lebanon how important it is to engage with the partner countries and that this type of engagement definitely brings results’, von der Leyen noted, referring to her visit to Beirut last May, accompanied by President Christodoulides, among others, where she announced a financial assistance package for Lebanon worth pound 1 billion for 2024 to 2027.
‘The Mediterranean has long served as a key gateway to three continents’, she said, adding that, today, ‘it is the vital artery for global trade and energy flows’, but that it is also ‘a front line of geopolitical influence and, tragically, a backdrop for far too many humanitarian crises and migration tragedies’.
This is the reason why, she said, she defi
ned a specific Mediterranean portfolio in her new Commission, adding that she has asked Commissioner-designate Dubravka Šuica to develop a Pact for the Mediterranean ‘so that we specifically look at those topics’.
‘I want to make sure that it reflects your reality and your interests,’ she noted.
Referring to the impact of climate change, von der Leyen said that Cyprus’ reality is also that ‘of a beautiful but also vulnerable island’, because the Mediterranean region is particularly affected by rising temperatures and extreme weather phenomena.
‘In Cyprus, we already see an increase in heat waves and droughts. We are here to support you. We did so, for example, by sending two firefighting planes this summer, right here in Paphos,’ she said.
The European Commission President also said that the EU ‘will also invest together with you in your carbon-neutral future’ and wants to kick-start the clean energy transition in Cyprus and help protect its ecosystems, noting that both were crucial to people’s livelihood
s.
Source: Cyprus News Agency