President Nikos Christodoulides met European Council President Antonio Costa at the presidential palace on Friday, with the EU’s next long-term budget, the Cyprus problem and regional developments among the issues on the agenda.

Welcoming Costa, who is on a working visit to Cyprus, Christodoulides thanked him for his support during Cyprus’ EU Council presidency and praised his initiative to visit all member states ahead of upcoming European Council discussions.

He said the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028-2034 was the most important issue facing the bloc, stressing the need to reach a political agreement by the end of the year.

“We need to do our utmost to reach a political agreement by the end of 2026. We don’t have an alternative,” Christodoulides said.

He added that discussions would also cover Ukraine, the Middle East, EU enlargement, competitiveness, defence and security.

Christodoulides also thanked Costa for his “personal interest” in the Cyprus problem, saying they would discuss UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ efforts to resume negotiations.

“The Cyprus problem is a European problem and the European Union can play a decisive role in order to reunite our country,” he said, adding that any settlement should be based on UN Security Council resolutions and EU law, values and principles.

EU Presidency congratulations

Costa, meanwhile, congratulated Christodoulides on Cyprus’ EU Council presidency during the first half of the year, saying the bloc now faced challenging decisions in the coming months, particularly over the 2028-2034 budget.

He said his visits to EU capitals were aimed at ensuring European institutions remained close to citizens and member states.

“We need to work hand-in-hand because only together we can deliver, and our strength is based on our unity,” Costa said.

Turning to the Cyprus problem, he said that “in a united Europe, the unification of Cyprus is a key issue”.

Costa added that any solution must adhere to international law and expressed hope that a good solution to the Cyprus problem could be found.