“Our daily activities as elected representatives must be part of a long-term vision,” emphasised Congress President Marc Cools, speaking at the opening of the Cyprus Forum Cities in Limassol on 30 April 2025. “We can never get trapped in short-term thinking if we want to see change, and the local governance reform you have been undertaking since 2024 is an important step in that direction,” he added.

Focusing on the theme “Building the cities of tomorrow, today,” the Forum aims to discuss the changes needed for the sustainable and resilient development of cities and rural areas in Cyprus. In this regard, the President recalled the Congress' work on the resilience of cities and regions and their preparation for the challenges ahead. The Forum also discussed the compliance of local governance reform in Cyprus with the European Charter of Local Self-Government.

The previous day, on April 29 in Nicosia, the President held bilateral talks with Interior Minister Konstantinos Ioannou and the presidents of the Union of Cyprus Municipalities (Andreas Vyras, Mayor of Larnaca and Head of the Cyprus Delegation to the Congress) and the Union of Cypriot Communities (Andreas Kitromilides, President of the Kapedes Community Council). In Limassol, President Cools also held talks with the presidents of local government organisations from the districts. The meetings focused on the implementation of the reform. Local government autonomy, the balance between local authorities' powers and funding, the division of powers and the organisation of local government were among the topics discussed. The President underlined that the next monitoring of the situation of local democracy in Cyprus, scheduled by the Congress for 2026, will provide an opportunity to examine these various aspects in the light of the Charter.