New Member of the Club?

Although Europe contains dozens of countries, when you drive across the continent—from Portugal in the west as far as Greece in the east—you’ll never be stopped at a border.

That’s thanks to a law dating to the 1980s…

In 1985, several European countries signed the Schengen Agreement, named for the village in Luxembourg where the signing took place. All these countries agreed not to carry out checks at their mutual borders…

Today, the so-called Schengen Area or Schengen Zone includes 29 countries—most of the European Union, plus some non-EU countries—and it’s the largest free travel area in the world. No need for a passport to travel within it, even at airports. And no customs checks.

Now, Schengen might be about to get its newest member…

Despite being a member of the European Union, the Republic of Cyprus is still outside Schengen. But this may be about the change.

Cyprus’ president has announced the island country will join the zone this year… Still, it’s not an easy path to get there—because of Cyprus’ history…

The island of Cyprus has been divided since 1974. Historically, the population comprised Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. Following military intervention by Turkey in response to a coup d’état aimed at uniting Cyprus with Greece, the northern one-third of the island became the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), recognized only by Turkey. The Republic of Cyprus controls the rest of the island. It is recognized by the United Nations and joined the EU in 2004.

This presents a unique challenge to Schengen membership, which requires member states to control their external borders. The Turkish enclave and the Cypriot Republic are divided by the Green Line, a buffer zone patrolled by the United Nations. The five main border crossings are not set up as formal border posts. People crossing from one side to the other need only present an ID document such as a national ID or even a driver’s license. Visas and passports aren’t needed.

This would need to change if the Republic of Cyprus joined the Schengen Zone. The big concern here is that given Cyprus’ location next to the volatile Middle East, it would be possible for unwanted individuals to cross into the Cypriot Republic from the Turkish zone without triggering alarms. Particularly at a time of increased concern about border controls throughout the EU, this has prevented the Republic from enjoying Schengen benefits.

The other problem is the presence of Turkish military forces in Northern Cyprus and the unresolved status of the island. Turkey also has an active application to join the European Union, and Cyprus has long been a complicating factor in that process. Allowing Cyprus into Schengen could inflame tensions.

To be included in Schengen, the Cypriot Republic will need to overhaul its border infrastructure, enhance its surveillance capabilities, and ensure that its law enforcement agencies can effectively share information with other Schengen countries through the Schengen Information System (SIS).