The European Commission says Cyprus has made significant progress toward joining the Schengen area, but the process remains in the “evaluation and monitoring” stage.
According to Alithia, the Commission’s latest report notes improvements but stresses that Cyprus has not yet reached the point of full readiness for accession. The paper recalls that President Nikos Christodoulides has repeatedly spoken not only of progress but of eventual full membership, saying last May that technical preparations could be completed by the end of 2025, allowing accession in 2026.
The report, however, paints a more cautious picture, stating that the process is still in the phases of monitoring, assessment and preparation. It also notes that the Commission carried out a series of Schengen evaluation activities in Cyprus last December to assess its level of preparedness, and that the review of those preparations is ongoing.
The article adds that the terminology used in the EU report is far more restrained than the political certainty expressed by Cypriot officials.