Cyprus may join the Schengen area this year
Kyiv • UNN
Cyprus plans to finalize all technical issues to join the Schengen area by the end of 2025. The country's president announced the expected benefits for tourism and investment, but experts warn of possible complications due to the island's divided status.
By the end of 2025, Cyprus will have resolved all the technical issues necessary to join the Schengen free movement area. The Republic is already working on what benefits it will receive. This was reported by Politico, according to UNN.
Details
According to the newspaper, the announcement of joining the Schengen zone was made by Cypriot President Nicos Christodoulides on Friday, January 10 at a conference in Nicosia.
During his speech, Nicos Christodoulidis emphasized that membership in the Schengen area would bring benefits to Cyprus, especially in the areas of tourism and investment. According to him, a special group in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is overseeing this issue.
We have addressed all political concerns about the ceasefire line and are now finalizing the technical details necessary for accession
He also said that the Republic is in the final stages of abolishing US visa requirements for Cypriot travelers. A US delegation is expected to visit Cyprus shortly on this issue, with announcements to follow.
Cyprus has been a member state of the European Union since 2004. Although its residents enjoy freedom of movement within the 27-nation bloc, the island in the eastern Mediterranean is not yet part of the Schengen area, which includes non-EU countries
This shift will require passports to be checked at checkpoints, changing their status and potentially increasing tensions. EU officials have warned that full Schengen membership would require changes to the Green Line Regulation, which governs travel across the divided island.
Cyprus is a unique case, as the island has been divided since 1974 between the Republic of Cyprus in the south and the Turkish-occupied north
Experts warn that if Cyprus joins Schengen without resolving this issue, the Green Line, which is currently a buffer zone, will become a hard external border of the EU.
Recall
On January 1, 2025, Romania and Bulgaria officially became part of the Schengen area. Passport checks at land borders have been canceled, making it easier to travel between EU countries.
