At their pre-summit gathering in Brussels on 15 October, heads of state and government belonging to the European People’s Party (EPP) threw their collective weight behind Cyprus’ long-awaited entry into the passport-free Schengen area. In a short communiqué, the leaders – who include German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis – called on the Council and the European Commission to “complete the remaining steps without delay” so that Cyprus can join Schengen “at the earliest possible date”. President Nikos Christodoulides attended the meeting and was said to have received “clear political backing” for the final evaluation phase. Cyprus has been technically ready since the Commission’s positive country report in late 2025, but political sign-off by the Council is still pending. The EPP statement is therefore significant: the group controls the largest bloc of votes in the European Parliament and six of the EU-27 governments. Diplomats in Brussels told the Cyprus News Agency that they expect the Schengen Council working party to schedule the last verification mission – on data protection – for December, keeping the target of full accession in 2027 alive. For businesses, Schengen membership would be transformative. Once Cyprus removes internal border checks, EU-based staff will be able to fly to Larnaca or Paphos using just an ID card, while Cypriot professionals will enjoy passport-free travel to 25 other Schengen countries. Logistics providers anticipate shorter transit times for high-value cargo flown via Athens or Milan, and the Cyprus Tourist Board predicts a 4-6 per cent increase in arrivals from secondary European airports that currently lack consular services. There are still hurdles. Cyprus must complete the roll-out of its new Entry/Exit System, replace 40 interactive kiosks with full e-gates, and align its visa policy on Turkish and Azerbaijani travel documents with Schengen rules. The interior ministry insists that procurement is on track and that staff training with Frontex will be finished by mid-2027. If political momentum holds, Cyprus could be invited to sign the Schengen Protocol in the first half of 2027 during the Belgian presidency. Until then, companies sending assignees to Cyprus should plan for a transition period in which Schengen short-stay rules will apply, but national long-stay permits will remain untouched. Multinationals are advised to audit their posted-worker processes early to avoid last-minute compliance surprises once the external border of the Schengen zone shifts east to the island.
Source: Cyprus News Agency
