President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias arrives Tuesday to Strasbourg where he will present on Wednesday before the Plenary of the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, the Programme and the Priorities of Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union, entitled “Towards a better Europe”. Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt will take stock of the Danish Presidency on Tuesday morning.
According to the programme of his visit, in the afternoon President Christofias will have a meeting with the President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz.
Afterwards, he will have bilateral meetings with leaders of the political groups at the European Parliament. He will meet successively with Chairman of the European Conservatives and Reformists Group ( ECR) Martin Callannan, Chairman of the European People’s Party Group Joseph Daul, Co-Presidents of the Greens/Europe Free Alliance Daniel Cohn-Bendit and Rebecca Harms, Leader of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Guy Verhofstadt, Co-Presidents for the Europe of Freedom and Democracy Enrico Speron and Nigel Farage, with MEPs of the Political Group of European United Left/Nordic Green Left and with MEPs of the Political Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats.
In the evening he will attend a dinner hosted by the European United Left.
On Wednesday morning the President will visit the European Parliament where he will be officially welcomed by Schulz.
Later on a “Head of Aphrodite” sculpture will be revealed and be given by President Christofias to Schulz as a gift.
In the morning the President will have two hours to present before the plenary of the European Parliament the Programme and the Priorities of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU and have a debate and reply to questions by MEPs.
He will then give a joint press conference with the President of the European Parliament and the President of the European Commission and following that he will attend lunch hosted by the President of the European Parliament.
The four main priorities announced by the Cyprus Presidency are a more efficient and sustainable Europe; a Europe with a better performing and growth-based economy; a Europe that is more relevant to its citizens, with solidarity and social cohesion, and a Europe in the world, closer to its neighbours.
The Cyprus EU Presidency, the first that the Republic of Cyprus assumes after its accession to the EU eight years ago, believes that the European Union needs to emerge stronger from the current economic crisis and reinstate its place in the international scene.