The EU Membership of Cyprus and the “Cyprus Problem”

The purposes of this paper are to clarify the complications involved in Cyprus' becoming a member of the EU when compared with other Central and Eastern European applicant countries and to inquire wether Cyprus' accession to the EU may be a catalyst for resolving the “Cyprus Problem”.<br>Cyprus is the only country among the 13 countries who have applied for the membership in the EU, which has been divided into two communities. Internationally, the Greek Cypriots, the southern part of the island, is recognized as the legitimate government of the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot, TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus), claim to independence, is recognized only by Turkey. Greek support for the southern part of the island and Turkish recognition for the northern part places these two countries at the center of the Cyprus Problem.<br>The Greek Cypriots had submitted an application for the membership of the whole island to the EU in 1990, hoping to solve the Cyprus Problem or at least to gain membership in the EU as a guarantee against a Turkish invasion of the southern part of the island. The EU was from the beginning in favor of Cypriot membership but the reunification of the island was considered implicitly as a precondition for the membership of Cyprus. In 1995, the EU decided to open the negotiation for accession of Cyprus under strong pressure from Greece, which accepted in return, the customs union between the EU and Turkey. In 1998, the EU began the accession negotiations and decoupled the membership of Cyprus and the Cyprus Problem, hoping that its membership might be a catalyst for the reunification of the island. But then, the EU had to tackle seriously the question of Turkish membership as well.<br>The author's conclusion is that the membership of the Republic of Cyprus, leaving the island divided into two communities, will be an abnormal situation for the EU and that if the EU hopes for the reunification of the island, it must also accept the membership of Turkey. Therefore, Cyprus' membership may bring a positive effect toward the stabilization of the Eastern part of the Mediterranean resolving not only the Cyprus problem, but also the question of Turkish membership in the EU as well as Greco-Turkish antagonisms.