The European Commission has announced the appointment of Johannes Hahn as special envoy to Commission President Ursula von der Leyen for Cyprus.

According to a Commission statement, Mr Khan will report directly to the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and “will contribute to the settlement process within the UN framework in close cooperation with the UN Secretary General’s Personal Envoy for Cyprus, Maria Angela Olegin Quayar”.

The special envoy “will work with all relevant actors and interlocutors to prepare the ground for the resumption of negotiations for a comprehensive and viable solution, including through confidence-building,” it said.

The decision underlines the Commission’s commitment “to the reunification of Cyprus, to secure a viable and sustainable comprehensive settlement under the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and in line with EU principles, values and legislation”.

Mr Han served as Commissioner for Regional Policy (2010 – 2014) in the Barroso Commission, Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (2014 – 2019) in the Juncker Commission, and Commissioner for Budget and Administration (2019 – 2024) in the first von der Leyen term. He previously served as Austria’s Minister of Science and Research from 2007 to 2010 and was a member of the Vienna regional government for four years.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides in a post on X thanked the President of the European Commission, noting that he is proof that he stands firmly on the side of Cyprus and its people.

Also, Cypriot government spokesman Konstantinos Letibiotis notes in a post that the appointment of the EU Special Envoy for the Cyprus problem is the result of persistence, consistency, and a targeted strategy to actively support the effort to resume negotiations in the UN framework.

According to Mr. Letibiotis, today’s development is a continuation and result of a coordinated diplomatic course that was reflected in the European Council Conclusions of June 2023 and April 2024, as well as in the joint letter of the President of the European Commission and the President of the European Council to the UN Secretary General in March 2025.