Cyprus acceded to the European Union on 1 May 2004 in the entirety of its territory, with the application of the acquis suspended in the areas where the Government of the Republic of Cyprus cannot exercise effective control due to the Turkish occupation.
Nowhere is the mark of the ongoing Turkish occupation more visible than in Lefkosia, the EU’s last divided capital. Barbed wire, checkpoints, and the ceasefire line, known as the “Green Line”, cut through the heart and life of the city, reflecting the stark, painful, enduring reality of the island’s occupation.
Our determination to reunify Cyprus and its people is unwavering. We work towards a comprehensive settlement: a bizonal, bicommunal federation, with political equality, as defined in the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions, and fully in line with the EU acquis, the principles, values, and legislation of our Union. A solution that will fully safeguard the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Cypriots.
“My vision for Cyprus is this: a reunited country, within the greatest peace project there is, the European Union, the common home of all Cypriots. Their space of safety, stability, peace, and prosperity. The European Union is the best guarantee for the future of all Cypriots.”
The Cyprus issue is a European one. The appointment by the President of the European Commission of EU Special Envoy for Cyprus Johannes Hahn to support our efforts to resume negotiations reflects the EU’s steadfast support for the reunification of its last divided member state.
In pursuing a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue, in line with the agreed framework of the United Nations Security Council Resolutions, we look to the European project and its unifying power as a source of steadfast support, solidarity, and hope.