I am very happy to be back in Cyprus. We had an excellent visit by the College of Commissioners today. Your country stands at the crossroads of continents and cultures. This gives Cypriots a unique expertise in dialogue, negotiation and diplomacy. Assets that will matter greatly as you steer our common agenda in the first half of 2026. And as together we navigate in turbulent geopolitical waters, it fits that the theme of your presidency is: "An autonomous Union open to the world." Concretely this means that together we will be working on 3 key strands that will strengthen our independence. It is: security and defence, competitiveness and decarbonisation, Democracy and partnerships.
My first point is on security and defence. Last year, at the European level we have made more progress in defence than in decades before. We have presented the White Paper and the Readiness Roadmap 2030. Last year, we enabled Member States to mobilize up to 800 bn EUR for defence to make this Readiness Roadmap really happen, to implement it and to invest in the gaps, the capabilities that we need. This includes the 150 bn EUR for joint procurement – the SAFE programme. Yesterday, the first 8 out of 19 plans have been approved by the College. Now it is urgent for the Council to approve these plans to allow fast disbursement. And if things go fast, we could set the record that from the proposal of SAFE in the College till disbursement, we just needed one year. That would be fantastic.
Closely linked to our work on security and defence, is Ukraine. Peace talks are ongoing. At the same time, Russia continues its brutal shelling. This is the moment to keep our support strong and sustained. So we can put Ukraine in a position of strength – on the battlefield and at the negotiating table. Your presidency will have a key role to play to ensure swift agreement between Council and Parliament on the 90 billion EUR loan, with the legal proposal in the College that we have proposed yesterday, and we agreed politically on it in December in the European Council. At the same time, we are working with the United States and other partners on the prosperity pillar of a future peace agreement, on recovery. And here let me underline that the central role that Ukraine's accession to the European Union plays. We have seen by experience that with accession to the European Union, a huge boost in economic growth happened. Poland is an example. Since accession to the European Union, Poland doubled its economic size because of access to the Single Market. So, accession is both a key security guarantee in its own right but also the essential engine for future growth and prosperity. The needs right now are immense. But our track record is impressive. If you look at what the European Union has provided steadily during those last four years of Russian war in Ukraine, it is now up to 193 billion EUR since the beginning of the war. And we can build on the instruments that we have created to make sure that this money is swiftly transferred to Ukraine under conditions that are held for the investment in Ukraine. And in the environment that we have right now in security and defence we have decided that it is also time during your presidency to come with a new European security strategy.
My second point is our work for a more competitive Europe. Because only if we are economically strong, we can secure our independence. Let me start with innovation. Our hallmark is that freedom of research is guaranteed in Europe. That is why we launched the Choose Europe program last May. During your presidency – we will organize a follow-up conference on Choose Europe in May. The beating heart of our economy is our Single Market. We will present the 28th regime package, to support innovative companies across the Union. One single and simple set of rules to operate within the European Union, a reduction of bureaucratic burden and faster growth for innovative companies within the European Single Market. But as important is a deep and liquid market for capital. We have presented ambitious proposals, which need to make significant progress during your presidency. Another point that is crucial for competitiveness is to tackle high energy prices. Several key proposals are already on the table of the co-legislators. You will be working on the Grids package and permitting package for example.
Finally, we will continue our work on simplification and burden reduction. 10 Omnibuses are on their way. They have to reach their destination during your presidency. The business sector is waiting for it – all in all the burden reduction is 12 billion EUR per year every year. But as I said, the completion of the process matters more than the launch.
There is also another aspect: Europe's independence benefits a lot from our strong and growing network of trade agreements. They help us to diversify and de-risk. And with that backdrop, on Saturday in Paraguay history will be written. We will sign the EU-Mercosur Partnership Agreement after 25 years of negotiations. It will create the largest free trade zone in the world. But our ambition goes further. We are working hard to conclude our negotiations in your presidency with India at the end of the month. As well as with many partners, like Australia, the UAE and Malaysia. So I very much look forward to the Informal Leaders' meeting on 12 February. This will be the place and time to take stock of what has been achieved and speed up further delivery on our competitiveness agenda.
My third point is our common work on migration. We must work hand in hand to implement the Pact on Migration and Asylum. The next 6 months will be crucial. And I am glad that we can count on Cyprus' experience. The overall situation in Europe has substantially improved in recent years. This is very visible in Cyprus, where irregular arrivals fell by 62% in 2025 compared to 2024. This confirms the larger trend. In the EU illegal border crossing have fallen 37% in 2024. On top of this come another 26% last year. So let us keep up this work and focus on dismantling smuggling networks.
Last, and certainly not least, you will play a key role in advancing the next long-term EU budget. The December European Council showed strong support for a political agreement by the end of 2026. This momentum must now be maintained. With speed and focus, we can deliver a modern and ambitious EU budget. A budget that supports Europe's choice of independence. And that ensures that Europe has the right resources to match its ambitions.
Thank you – and I am looking forward to working closely with you.
