8. Italy doesn’t want to pay for Brussels building work
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni isn’t happy about plans to renovate the Justus Lipsius building in Brussels (that’s the building just off the Schuman roundabout that looks like a 1970s leisure center and is next to the giant glass egg building). “We cannot propose renovating the European Council’s headquarters at a cost of €800 million. This is something Italy cannot afford, and it would send the wrong message to citizens,” Meloni said while in Cyprus.
9. Mutual defense needs work
Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU’s mutual defense clause, Article 42.7, needs some gaming out if it’s going to work properly in practice. “The treaty is very clear about the what,” von der Leyen said, explaining member countries are obligated to come to each other’s aid. “The treaty is not clear about what happens when and who does what.”
10. Kids say the smartest things
As he spoke with students under the shade of a tree at Nicosia Franco-Cypriot school, one of the kids (perhaps an undercover reporter) asked French President Emmanuel Macron a question that broke news. Answering why he decided he wanted to become French president, Macron went through his bio and concluded by saying: “It is a matter of passion, it was not a career plan. I haven’t done politics before, and I will not do it after.”
That comment left everyone wondering whether Macron will leave politics after the end of his term in 2027. Under the French constitution, Macron can’t run for president next year — but he could run again in 2032 or look for another job in politics. The French leader declined to clarify his comment to reporters.
11. It’s better than Brussels …
Under the beating Mediterranean sun on Thursday, Europe’s heads of state walked down a palm tree-lined red carpet, past very fancy yachts — and Cypriot military speedboats armed with machine guns — to take their seats inside the conical glass event center at Ayia Napa Marina.
12. … but EU shadows always loom
The first day of the leaders’ summit took place at Ayia Napa Marina in southeastern Cyprus. Investment in the marina allowed some non-EU investors to access Cyprus’ infamous citizenship-by-investment program, often referred to as the “golden passport” scheme. The program was abolished in 2025, and as a result, many of the apartments in the tower — as well as many of the luxury villas — remain empty. The European Commission officially closed its infringement case against Cyprus over the plan in March 2026.
13. Say what?
Addressing reporters after Syria and Lebanon’s leaders left the room, European Council President António Costa stumbled over the pronunciation of Ayia Napa. “Yesterday in … Ayaya?” he said. “Ayia Napa,” Cyprus’ president corrected, sending laughter rippling through the room.
Gabriel Gavin and Jacopo Barigazzi contributed reporting from Cyprus.