in-cyprus 18 February 2026
Cyprus’s main journalists’ union and the Institute for Mass Media (IMME) have accused the Secretariat of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU of sidelining the union’s press card in its accreditation process.
The Cyprus Journalists’ Union said the presidency requires Cypriot journalists seeking accreditation to present a press card issued by the Press and Information Office (PIO), without referencing the union’s own professional ID. It described this as a “scandalous downgrading” and, in essence, a failure to recognise its press card, which it says has equal validity within the Republic.
The union questioned why its members, who are recognised abroad with the union card, should not be recognised in Cyprus. “With the Union’s press card we are recognised and accredited as journalists across the globe — and yet we cannot be recognised and accredited in our own country?” it said.
It also noted that foreign journalists covering presidency events were accredited on the basis of press cards issued by their national unions, asking why Cypriot journalists should be required to obtain a state-issued card in addition to their professional one.
The union said it raised the issue in letters to the Deputy Minister for European Affairs in January, but received a reply from the presidency secretariat referring it to the Interior Ministry and citing the 1989 Press Law. It described the response as an evasion of the substance of its complaint.
IMME, in a separate statement dated February 17, 2026, said it “expresses its dismay” that the presidency secretariat is demanding PIO-issued press cards from Cypriot journalists and refusing to accept those of the Union of Cyprus Journalists.
“This does not appear to be required of other European journalists who are being accredited on the basis of their national union press cards,” IMME said, adding that “unlike in Cyprus, the concept of state accreditation of the journalistic profession does not exist in the rest of the EU.”
The institute linked the issue to what it described as an outdated regulatory framework, arguing that “the notion that journalists should be accredited by the state is a consequence of the antiquated regulatory framework governing the media sector in Cyprus.” It said this underlines the urgency of reforming the 1989 Press Law and eliminating state intervention in journalistic accreditation.
IMME warned that “mandatory state licensing of journalists is widely acknowledged as a risk of potential restrictions on press freedom” and called on the government to rescind its demand for PIO accreditation and recognise the validity of the union’s press cards, which it said are recognised by the European Federation of Journalists and journalism bodies worldwide.
Both bodies said they expect corrective action from the authorities, warning that the current arrangement risks exposing Cyprus at European level and beyond.
In a separate development, the European Federation of Journalists (EFJ), of which the Cyprus Journalists’ Union is a member, has also intervened. In a written démarche to the Cypriot authorities, the EFJ’s General Secretary Ricardo Gutiérrez said it was neither reasonable nor acceptable to exclude a professional and internationally recognised press card such as that of the Cyprus Journalists’ Union from an official accreditation process.
The federation called on the government to explicitly recognise the union’s press card in all presidency-related accreditation procedures and to ensure that no journalist is placed at a disadvantage for not holding a state-issued ID.
