The Cypriot presidency has announced that all European Union meetings scheduled for March will be either postponed or transitioned to a virtual format due to the escalating crisis in the Middle East, as confirmed by two officials from Cyprus.
Changes to meeting formats and schedules
All ministerial-level gatherings within the EU will be rescheduled for later dates, while meetings involving technocrats will be conducted via teleconference. One of the officials remarked,
“Due to developments in the region there were difficulties or cancellations with the flights not only to Cyprus, but also to other countries in the region, so we had to be flexible.”
Cyprus, which is the third-smallest country in the EU, took over the presidency of the Council of the EU in January. This marks the second time Cyprus has held this position since its accession to the bloc in 2004.
Impact of the ongoing crisis
The ongoing regional turmoil has necessitated the postponement of several key meetings, including the European affairs ministers meeting originally scheduled for March 2-3 and the culture ministers meeting for March 5-6. Additional meetings planned for March include a defense ministers gathering on March 11-12, a telecommunications meeting on March 23-24, the Ecofin meeting on March 27-28, and a Research and Competitiveness Council on March 30-31.
As of now, an informal European Council meeting featuring all EU leaders is set for April 23-24 in Cyprus and has not yet been rescheduled. The Cypriot presidency aims to invite leaders from neighboring countries for discussions focused on the Middle East.
In light of the recent tensions, Greece, France, and Spain have deployed warships and fighter jets to Cyprus following incidents involving Iranian drones targeting British bases on the island earlier this week.