Cyprus may be part of Schengen this 12 months, president says

ATHENS — Cyprus will resolve all technical points crucial to hitch the Schengen free-travel zone by the tip of this 12 months, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides mentioned.

Cyprus and Ireland, which don’t have any land borders with different EU international locations, are the one EU member states exterior the Schengen space. Romania and Bulgaria grew to become full members of the passport-free space on Jan. 1.

“We have addressed all political considerations relating to the cease-fire line and at the moment are finalizing the technical particulars required for accession,” Christodoulides mentioned throughout a convention in Nicosia late Friday.

He underlined the advantages Schengen membership would convey to Cyprus, notably in tourism and funding. A devoted staff on the overseas ministry is overseeing the method, he mentioned.

Cyprus has been a European Union member state since 2004. While Cypriots get pleasure from freedom of motion throughout the 27-nation bloc, the jap Mediterranean island itself just isn’t but a part of the Schengen space, which incorporates international locations exterior the EU.

But Cyprus is exclusive case because the island has been divided since 1974 between the Republic of Cyprus within the south and the Turkish-occupied north. If Cyprus joins Schengen with out resolving this difficulty, the Green Line, at the moment a buffer zone, would turn into a tough exterior border of the EU, consultants warn.

This shift would necessitate passport checks at crossing factors, thus altering their standing and probably rising tensions. EU officers have warned that full Schengen membership would require modifications to the Green Line Regulation, which governs motion throughout the divided island.

An EU official was not instantly obtainable to touch upon Saturday.

Christodoulides additionally mentioned that Cyprus is within the closing phases of lifting the U.S. visa requirement for Cypriot vacationers. A U.S. delegation is anticipated to go to Cyprus quickly on the problem and bulletins ought to observe.