Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union (Jan. 2026)

The Republic of Cyprus assumes the Presidency of the Council of the European Union

Cyprus took over the rotating Presidency of the Council of the European Union on January 1, 2026, concluding the 18-month Trio with Poland and Denmark. The Presidency’s programme is framed around the motto “An Autonomous Union. Open to the World.” and places emphasis on continuity, stability and coordinated progress across the Council’s work.

Health and social priorities

Health policy appears in the programme primarily through its social and people-centred dimension. The Presidency highlights the importance of quality of life, social cohesion and access to essential services, including healthcare, as part of a resilient and integrated European Health Union. These priorities are relevant to the conditions under which specialised medical services operate across the EU, including nuclear medicine.

Strategic autonomy and competitiveness

The programme gives prominence to strategic autonomy, competitiveness and the functioning of the Single Market. In this context, the Presidency stresses the need for predictable regulation, support for innovation and stronger internal capacity. For EANM, these discussions matter because radiopharmaceuticals and nuclear medicine services rely on highly specialised production, research and regulatory frameworks that do not always fit neatly into standard policy categories.

Research and innovation

Research and innovation feature across the Presidency’s agenda, particularly in relation to competitiveness and long-term economic resilience. Continued support for EU research frameworks and an emphasis on reducing unnecessary administrative burden are relevant to the development and clinical adoption of new diagnostic and therapeutic applications in nuclear medicine.

EANM outlook

Overall, the Cyprus Presidency is characterised by continuity. For the EANM, this period offers an opportunity to further dialogue with EU institutions and Member States and to ensure that the specific characteristics of nuclear medicine are understood as broader policy discussions on health, innovation and strategic capacity move forward.

Read the full programme

Published online: January 5, 2026.