Cyprus takes over the EU Presidency with the motto ‘An Autonomous Union. Open to the World’

This month, Cyprus assumed the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union, under the overarching motto ‘An Autonomous Union. Open to the World’. The motto reflects a forward-looking approach that combines internal strength and independence with openness, cooperation and global engagement.

The Cyprus Presidency is guided by five broad priorities:

• Autonomy through security, defence readiness and preparedness;
• Autonomy through competitiveness;
• Open to the world and autonomous;
• An autonomous Union of values that leaves no one behind; and
• A long-term budget for an autonomous Union.

During its mandate, Cyprus will chair the Horizontal Working Party on Drugs (HDG)(¹), with a focus on strengthening a comprehensive, evidence-based and humane EU approach to drug policy.

A key priority will be to facilitate discussions on the new EU Drugs Strategy and the Action Plan against drug trafficking, presented by the European Commission in December 2025. The Presidency will promote a balanced approach, giving equal emphasis to demand and supply reduction. It will also explore, together with the 27 EU Member States and EU institutions and agencies, a comprehensive implementation framework for EU drug policy, which will include the Action Plan against drug trafficking and address the remaining pillars of the EU Strategy.

The main thematic priority of the Cyprus Presidency will be the criminal justice system and drugs in prisons. Discussions will focus on developing a shared framework for monitoring drug use and drug-related crime in prison settings, including common methodologies for data collection and needs assessments.

The Presidency will also promote exchanges on alternatives to coercive sanctions, presenting Cyprus’ national experience, including treatment-oriented approaches and protocols for minor drug offences. Further debates will address the implementation of treatment and harm reduction programmes in prisons, as well as the continuity of care after release, with a view to supporting reintegration and reducing reoffending.

Ensuring a coordinated and active EU presence at the 69^th session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) will be another core priority. The Cyprus Presidency will coordinate the preparation of EU positions and joint statements, facilitate information-sharing on draft resolutions and side events and support common EU responses to key international developments.

The Presidency will organise thematic discussions on priority issues, including:

• opioid overdose prevention and the use of take-home naloxone;
• minimum quality standards in drug demand reduction;
• synthetic cannabinoids and emerging drug threats;
• innovative research and the use of new technologies, including artificial intelligence, in both demand and supply reduction.

In line with the Presidency’s outward-looking dimension, Cyprus will advance dialogues on drugs with third countries and key partners, including the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, Brazil, Central Asia and with the Civil Society Forum on Drugs. These exchanges aim to reinforce cooperation, promote shared responsibility and uphold EU values at global level.

Throughout its Presidency, Cyprus remains committed to promoting EU values, human rights and international law, while fostering cooperation, evidence-based policymaking and inclusiveness. Through the work of the HDG, the Presidency will seek to contribute to an EU drug policy that is effective, balanced and responsive, open to the world, yet firmly rooted in the Union’s core principles.

This marks Cyprus’ second Presidency since joining the EU in 2004, the first time being in 2012.

EUDA to play key supporting role

The EUDA will play a key supporting role during the Cyprus Presidency. The agency will contribute expertise and evidence-based analysis to inform the HDG’s discussions and support policymaking. It will also actively participate in dialogues with international partners, ensuring that global and regional approaches to drug challenges are grounded in the latest research and best practices. The EUDA’s involvement will help strengthen collaboration across Member States and promote innovative, effective solutions to the complex issues surrounding drug policy. On 22 and 23 January, the EUDA participated in an informal meeting of Justice and Home Affairs Ministers in Nicosia, Cyprus.