The European Commission has decided to appoint Johannes Han, a former European Commissioner, as a special envoy to Cyprus. “In this capacity, he will refer to European Commission President Ursula von der Laien and will contribute to the United Nations settlement process in close cooperation with the personal envoy of the UN Secretary -General for Cyprus Maria Achela Holgin.”

According to the Commission’s announcement, “this definition emphasizes the committee’s commitment to the reunification of Cyprus, with the aim of ensuring a functional and sustainable overall settlement in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and in accordance with the authorities, values ​​and EU legislation.” The special envoy will work with all relevant bodies and interlocutors to prepare the ground for the reopening of negotiations for a comprehensive and sustainable solution, including through confidence building.

Johannes Hahn has served as three consecutive European Commissioner for Regional Policy (2010-2014), for European neighborhood policy and negotiations for enlargement (2014-2019) and budget and administration (2019-2024). Prior to his work at European level, he was Minister of Science and Research in Austria from 2007 to 2010 and a member of the Vienna Regional Government for four years.