CROCEU and COMECE Delegation Engages with Cypriot Authorities Ahead of the 2026 EU Presidency

A joint delegation of the Committee of the Representatives of the Orthodox Churches to the European Union (CROCEU) and the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE) conducted a series of high-level meetings in Cyprus, on 9 December 2025, in view of the forthcoming Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union. On behalf of CROCEU, the delegation consisted in Metropolitan Athenagoras of Belgium and Rev. Fr. Konstantinos Kenanidis (EU Office of the Ecumenical Patriarchate) and Rev. Fr. Sorin Șelaru (Permanent Officie of the Romanian Orthodox Church to the EU); COMECE was represented by His Excellency Mgr Mariano Crociata (President) and Mgr. Selim Jean Sfeir, Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus.

The visit took place within the framework of Article 17 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), which provides for an open, regular and transparent dialogue between the EU institutions and Churches. In this spirit, the delegation travelled to Cyprus to engage constructively with the country’s civil and ecclesiastical authorities and to offer reflections that may support the shaping of the priorities and program of the upcoming Presidency.

Throughout the day, the delegation met with His Beatitude Archbishop Georgios of Cyprus, Primate of the autocephalous Orthodox Church of Cyprus; His Excellency President Nikos Christodoulides, President of the Republic of Cyprus; Ms Marilena Raouna, Deputy Minister for European Affairs; Mr. Marios Panayides, Director General at the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth and senior representatives of the same ministry. During these encounters, CROCEU and COMECE underlined the Churches’ longstanding commitment to contributing to the European project through dialogue and service to the common good.

The delegation presented to each authority a document outlining key concerns and proposals of the Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches regarding several priorities expected to shape the Cypriot Presidency, including migration, peace and security, relations with neighbouring regions, water resilience and EU enlargement. The text, grounded in Christian social teaching and the experience of the Churches in promoting the dignity of the human person, highlighted the ethical dimensions that accompany many of today’s European challenges and expressed the hope that these values may inspire the Presidency’s work.  

CROCEU and COMECE welcomed Cyprus’s assumption of the rotating Presidency as a moment of particular significance, given the country’s long Christian heritage and its position at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. They expressed appreciation for the open and constructive exchanges with the Cypriot authorities and conveyed their readiness to support the Presidency, notably by contributing to thematic initiatives and by cooperating with partners in Cyprus and Brussels on events to be organised during the six-month term.

The delegation concluded by reaffirming the Churches’ willingness to continue the structured dialogue foreseen under Article 17 of the TFEU, convinced that such cooperation can strengthen the European Union’s commitment to human dignity, the promotion of peace, the protection of religious freedom, ecological responsibility, and solidarity among peoples. They expressed confidence that the Cypriot Presidency will contribute to these aims and assured their prayers and support for its success.