The European Commission’s new envoy for the Cyprus problem Raffaele Fitto will engage with “both communities in Cyprus”, commission spokeswoman Louise Bogey said on Tuesday.

“Fitto will engage with all relevant stakeholders and counterparts to prepare the ground for the resumption of negotiations and to support the establishment of trust among all relevant parties and counterparts. This includes, in particular, both communities in Cyprus,” she said.

She added that the European Union remains “strongly committed to the reunification of Cyprus”, and that as such, Fitto will “contribute to the solution process in close cooperation” with United Nations envoy Maria Angela Holguin.

Meanwhile, commission deputy chief spokesman Olof Gill said of Fitto that “we are talking about a highly experienced senior politician with extensive experience in areas of governance, regional cooperation and institutional dialogue”.

“He was appointed for a specific reason. We believe he possesses the necessary skills and experience to move the process forward,” he said.

Unlike his predecessor, Austrian diplomat Johannes Hahn, Fitto is currently a member of the European Union’s college of commissioners, having been appointed by von der Leyen as executive vice president for cohesion in 2024.

In this capacity, he is responsible, among other things, for overseeing the commission’s directorate-general for regional and urban policy (DG-Regio), the office which operates the Cyprus settlement support unit.

In November last year, speaking in his capacity as cohesion commissioner, he told the European Parliament that “the EU has always been clear: we recognise only the Republic of Cyprus as a subject of international law”, and that “the EU has also repeatedly stated that the only solution for Cyprus is the reunification of the island”.

Despite belonging to the European Conservatives and Reformists’ group, the same European grouping as Elam, he did offer praise for Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman at the time, saying that “the change in leadership in the Turkish Cypriot community can open a new window of opportunity to move forward”.

He added that “beyond diplomatic engagement, the Commission is also continuing its work to create the conditions for future reunification on the ground”, and that “we aim, through our work, to foster engagement, cooperation and inclusion between both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities”.