President Nikos Christodoulides on Friday discussed with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo the prospects for the European Union’s next multiannual financial framework, which is due to be renewed in 2028, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said.

The European Commission presented its first document regarding the next multiannual financial framework in February, with discussions on the next framework set to ramp up next year.

This will coincide with Cyprus’ holding of the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2026.

The commission’s document said that EU budgets within his framework should be “simpler, more focused, and more impactful”, while also stating that future budgets must “deliver on EU priorities”.

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In addition to the matter of the multiannual financial framework, Letymbiotis also said that within the context of Cyprus’ holding of the Council of the EU’s rotating presidency, Christodoulides and Orpo discussed “the need for a coherent and holistic approach to migration”.

Last year, the EU’s 27 member states signed a new pact on migration, effectively redesigning its migration system.

The redesign consists of ten separate pieces of legislation, all of which were passed by the European parliament. It provides for a stricter and more unified approach across the bloc to the processing and settling of asylum seekers.

This aside, Letymbiotis said the meeting had seen Christodoulides present to Orpo his “main priorities” for the first half of next year, which “focus on strengthening the strategic autonomy, competitiveness, and resilience of the EU”.

Letymbiotis added that Christodoulides and Orpo had “confirmed the excellent relations” between Cyprus and Finland, and “highlighted the prospects for their strategic deepening”.

He added that Christodoulides had made “special mention” if the fact that last year was the 60th anniversary of the arrival of the first Finnish United Nations peacekeepers in Cyprus, with Christodoulides saying this anniversary constitutes “a fact which confirms the historical bonds of friendship and solidarity between the two peoples”.

Christodoulides and Orpo had ‘confirmed the excellent relations’ between Cyprus and Finland, and ‘highlighted the prospects for their strategic deepening’

He also made reference to the increase in Finnish tourists travelling to Cyprus, with Letymbiotis saying the increased numbers “demonstrate the promising prospects for the coming years and reinforce the need for expanding direct connections”.

On Thursday, Christodoulides and Finnish President Alexander Stubb had praised the “remarkable momentum” of Finnish tourism in Cyprus, with Letymbiotis pointing out that last year, the number of Finnish tourists travelling to Cyprus grew by 26.1 per cent compared to 2023.

In addition to the matter of tourism, Christodoulides and Orpo spoke of the “importance” of the delivery of 10 patrol boats to the Cypriot police by Finnish company Kewatec in March.

This, Letymbiotis said, “was highlighted as a tangible sign of trust and cooperation in the field of security”.

He added that Christodoulides had also informed Orpo about the latest developments on the Cyprus problem, with “special reference” being made again to the appointment of Austrian Johannes Hahn as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s envoy for the Cyprus problem.

Letymbiotis added that Hahn’s appointment “constitutes a positive step in strengthening Europe’s role in the process”, before also speaking of UN envoy Maria Angela Holguin’s forthcoming contacts in Cyprus following her arrival in Cyprus on Friday evening.

Earlier in the day, Christodoulides had met Finnish Parliament Speaker Jussi Halla-aho.