Before becoming the newest member of the Schengen Area, Cyprus must particularly focus on fulfilling five main requirements.
Cyprus has been part of the European Union since 2014, but not also of the EU’s Schengen Zone, Schengen.News reports.
According to a report from Politis, the first step on Cyprus’s pathway towards joining Schengen is the completion of all technical and operational prerequisites.
Among them, upgrade and interconnection of Cyprus’ information technology system with the Schengen Information System (SIS), strengthen border controls and also strengthen its presence internationally.
The second step is central coordination and administrative organisation. According to some local media reports, a special group has been established inside the government to this end.
This group is formed by the foreign ministry and includes the justice, defence, transport and migration ministries. According to a report from Cyrus Mail, the group has been tasked with addressing unresolved issues on Cyprus’ side with the aim of accelerating the Commission’s final assessment of Cyprus’ Schengen accession.
The third step is related to the Green Line, with the commission said to place particular emphasis on the effective supervision of the Green Line in order to prevent irregular crossings and ensure safety.
The fourth step is the application of the Schengen acquis on visas as well as migrant returns.
As for the migrant issue, according to the country’s police statistics, a total of 10,098 irregular migrants returned to their origin countries in 2024.
Once all technical requirements are fulfilled, the European Commission will undertake a final assessment related to Cyprus’ suitability.
Notable Progress Towards Schengen Accession
Recently, the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs, Magnus Brunner, said that the European Commission is closely watching the progress of Cyprus towards Schengen accession.
In addition, the Commission said that more than €292 million worth of funding has been allocated for the border management and migration and police cooperation in Cyprus under the 2021 to 2027 period.
Earlier this month, the Foreign Minister of Cyprus, Constantinos Kombos, said his country had made significant progress towards Schengen accession in the two years since the government came to power.
Our effort was and remains to convince the commission to carry out its final re-evaluation in all areas within this year. Until then, the path will be difficult, the next six months require hard work.
He emphasised that becoming part of the Schengen Area is among Cyprus’s top priorities.