Foreign Minister discusses Schengen and Cyprus’ EU Presidency with Cypriot MEPs, Commissioner Magnus Brunner

08:53 - 20 May 2025

Current Affairs Reporter

Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos has met with Cypriot Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) in Brussels to brief them on the progress of Cyprus’ bid for full accession to the Schengen Area.

In a post on his personal account on the platform X, Minister Kombos described the meeting as “another productive exchange” with Cyprus’ MEPs.

He noted that the discussion also included preparations for the upcoming Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which Cyprus will assume in the first half of 2026.

Kombos also discussed the progress made by Cyprus in the process to enter the Schengen Area with EU Commissioner for Internal Affairs and Migration, Magnus Brunner, during a meeting in Brussels.

In a post on X, Kombos said that they had “a very productive and timely exchange”.

“We discussed Cyprus’s progress on all Schengen recommendations and the necessary steps forward, always with the Commission’s support and guidance. Cyprus’s full membership to Schengen will complete the security of the Union and will add to its strategic outlook,” he added.

Cyprus is the only member state of the EU that is not in the Schengen Area due to the Turkish occupation and division of the country since 1974 (Ireland has asked for an exception from applying Schengen legislation). The Commission is currently evaluating Cyprus’s progress. The final decision needs to be taken unanimously by the Council of the EU.

(Sources: CNA, X)

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