Cyprus hoping for Schengen decision ‘as soon as possible’

The government is hoping for a political decision to be made on whether it will be able to join Europe’s border-free Schengen zone “as soon as possible”, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Friday. “With the European Commission’s report, which assessed our country, which is a very positive report which recommends the priority examination of the Republic of Cyprus’ request for full accession to the Schengen zone, we are working so that there is a political decision as soon as possible,” he said. He added that this decision will be taken “by the member states, at the level of justice and home affairs [JHA council]”. “We are working together with the council, that is, with all the member states, as well as with the commission, so that we can have this very important political decision as soon as possible,” he said. It is expected that the Commission will formally present its “State of Schengen” report to the Council of the European Union in the next two weeks, with that report including a “positive assessment” regarding Cyprus’ preparedness to join the Schengen zone. Commission spokesman Markus Lammert said in July that with the Commission now having taken a position, the matter is now in the Council’s hands. “It is clear that decisions on when and how Cyprus joins the Schengen area lie with the council. The commission’s position is very clear. Cyprus’ full accession to the Schengen area would be strengthening the common framework of shared rules, standards, and responsibilities that underwrite Schengen cooperation,” he said. For a new country to join the Schengen zone, a unanimous decision to that end must be taken by all of the countries inside the zone which are also members of the EU. They currently number 25, with only Cyprus and Ireland remaining on the outside. The four Schengen zone countries which are not EU member states – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland – are party to discussions but are not afforded votes in the process. As the Cyprus Mail has been informed, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has personally been one of the main driving forces behind the push for Cyprus to join the Schengen zone. “For years and years, the view across Europe was that Cyprus can never join the Schengen zone without the Cyprus problem being solved. Now, however, von der Leyen has told each member state that Cyprus must join the Schengen zone, and that they must acquiesce to it,” one diplomat, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said. However, some have expressed reservations about the feasibility of the plans for Cyprus’ to join the Schengen zone and the impact it may have on the Cyprus problem. This is in part because many believe that the Cypriot government’s insistence that the Schengen zone’s new digital entry/exit system will not be implemented at the nine crossing points which connect the island’s two sides will not be possible in reality. As such, Cyprus would likely be required to either effectively turn the Green Line into a hard border or have Europe face an administrative breakdown in the tracking of people entering and leaving the Schengen zone. Given this to be the case, Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman has said that it is “extremely important” for the Turkish Cypriot side to be involved in Cyprus’ accession to the Schengen zone. He also warned that Schengen accession “has the potential to bring about many complications, especially in the area of freedom of movement” regarding Turkish Cypriots, especially those who are not citizens of the Republic of Cyprus. Cyprus is one of just two EU member states which remain outside the Schengen zone, with Ireland, the other, electing not to fully join the zone so as to not prejudice its common travel agreement with the United Kingdom, which is outside the EU, the Schengen zone, the European single market, and the European customs union.