Danish European Affairs Minister Marie Bjerre on Thursday night said that Cyprus should focus on “security and defence and competitiveness” when the island takes over the Council of the European Union’s rotating presidency from Denmark at the beginning of next month.

“The key European issues should be on top of the agenda: security and competitiveness. I really hope that the Cyprus presidency will do its best on this. I am sure it will,” she told Euronews.

A draft programme for Cyprus’ six-month term as the holder of the Council of the EU’s rotating presidency does refer o defence plans, saying that Cyprus will “prioritise strengthening the EU’s ability to respond” considering “rising threats and security challenges in Europe’s neighbourhood and beyond”.

“Particular focus will be placed on supporting defence industries … engaged in research and innovation,” it states, adding that Cyprus will also “strive to support initiatives aimed at increasing EU investment in defence infrastructure, with an emphasis on securing the necessary know-how”.

It also states that Cyprus will “aim to strengthen cooperation between the EU and Nato, ensuring that it continues to be carried out in an inclusive, reciprocal, transparent, and mutually beneficial manner across all levels”.

“Relations with partners across the Atlantic remain a cornerstone of European security. In this context, [Cyprus] will prioritise greater transparency and coherence in transatlantic engagement, reinforcing the commitment of the member states to deepen cooperation with like-minded partners,” it says.

On the matter of the economy, the programme outlines Cyprus’ plans regarding the multiannual financial framework – the EU’s budget for the period covering the years between 2028 and 2034.

It says Cyprus is “committed to ensuring” that the multiannual financial framework “reflects the union’s strategic priorities, addressing both new and emerging as well as longstanding needs across the EU”.

“The new EU budget must be responsive to the current geopolitical landscape, including ongoing conflicts and economic uncertainties, while delivering solidarity, fairness, and tangible improvements in the quality of life for all EU citizens,” it says.

It adds that “an agreement for the EU budget must balance member states’ fiscal constraints and economic challenges with the imperative to drive sustainable growth and resilience across the union”.

Denmark is not the only country to pass comment on Cyprus’ forthcoming undertaking of the Council of the EU’s rotating presidency next month, with French President Emmanuel Macron having said that France can “count on” Cyprus during the island’s six-month term.

“France knows that we can count on you to ensure that Europe asserts its own interests and strategic autonomy,” he said following the signing of a strategic partnership by the governments of Cyprus and France in Paris.

He said both countries “share the same vision for a strong and sovereign Europe, facing our challenges and security threats”, with those threats including unfair trade practices and threats to our democracy and to our youth, as well as electoral interference and the protection of our children in the age of social media.

Additionally, he said, his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides “can count on France’s support to strengthen security and defence on our continent”, including to “continue our support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression and to reach a just and lasting solution” to the war.