Cyprus is “in the final stage” of preparation to join Europe’s Schengen zone, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Saturday.
Speaking at a meeting of the European People’s Party in Berlin, he said his government now has as its “main goal” integration into the Schengen zone, and that it has “done a lot of work to his end”.
“We are in the final stage to achieve this, our goal, within 2025, to be ready from a technical point of view, to have done all the preparatory work, so that the Republic of Cyprus becomes a Schengen member state,” he said.
He added that Cyprus’ joining of the Schengen zone would be a “good juncture during or before the first half of 2026”, when the country will hold the European Council’s rotating presidency.
His comments follow on from those made by his Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos, who told European Commissioner for internal affairs Magnus Brunner on Friday that the European Commission’s “guidance” towards the ultimate goal of joining the Schengen zone is “key to this important goal”.
He had added that joining the Schengen zone is a “key priority” for Cyprus’ government, and said that Cyprus joining the Schengen zone will be “mutually beneficial for Cyprus and all European citizens”.
The Schengen zone is Europe’s free-travel area, in which people can travel without passport checks.
With Bulgaria and Romania having fully joined the zone at the turn of the year, Cyprus is now one of just two European Union member states to not be inside the zone, alongside the Republic of Ireland, which is part of a separate free travel zone with non-EU member the United Kingdom.
In addition to the 25 EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, and Switzerland are also inside the Schengen zone.
