European Council President Antonio Costa will visit Cyprus next Friday as part of his “tour des capitales”, during which he will visit the capital city of every one of the European Union’s 27 member states.

The European Council said the aim of those visits is to allow him to “hear directly from EU leaders about their priorities and concerns and to strengthen cooperation across the EU”.

“Taking place at the beginning of the political season, the visits will help set the direction for the months ahead and ensure that the work of the European Council remains firmly anchored in the realities, priorities, and aspirations across Europe,” it said.

While in Cyprus, Costa will meet President Nikos Christodoulides. He is also expected to meet Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa in Ljubljana later the same day.

Looking ahead to his tour, he had said that “defence, competitiveness, enlargement and support for Ukraine will feature in my discussions with European leaders”, but stressed that “the EU’s next long-term budget will certainly stand out”.

This comment was made in reference to the multiannual financial framework – the EU’s budget for the period covering the years between 2028 and 2034, over which negotiations are expected to continue from next week with the aim of reaching a conclusion and having the budget itself ready by the end of this year.

While no politician on Friday or prior has publicly confirmed the reason for this, it is widely understood that the EU and its 27 member states plan to do this to ward off the risk of elections next year in France and Poland – and the possible election of the far right in both countries – derailing efforts to reach an agreement.

Previously, Costa had said in June, upon the conclusion of Cyprus’ six-month term as the holder of the Council of the EU’s rotating presidency, that with the island having submitted a budget proposal and consensuses beginning to be found among member states on aspects of it, the EU  was “one step closer to a new European budget … that meets our ambitions”.