The latest Cyprus mistake that could cost us dear

Many of us here in Cyprus are often annoyed at the inconvenience we face when travelling from Larnaca to somewhere in Europe. Apart from the limited direct flights to European destinations, forcing a lot of people to choose to fly through Athens, where we suffer the indignity of having to switch from Gate A to Gate B at Eleftherios Venizelos international airport. This requires going through passport control to the check in area and then back in again through security control (mercifully enabling us perhaps a stop for an obligatory bougatsa, if time allows).

The reason why we go through the Gate A to Gate B route, for those who have not looked at it already, is that Cyprus is not a member of the Schengen zone. The Schengen zone agreement has seen many European countries come together into an area where their citizens do not have to go through passport control or visa formalities when travelling from one of the countries to another. Although the area is predominantly an EU country area, there are Schengen member countries which are not part of the EU, such as Switzerland and Norway, in addition to EU countries that are not members – Cyprus and Ireland.

Cyprus may not be outside the Schengen zone for much longer. President Nikos Christodoulides has set sail for joining the Schengen zone with a target of being part of the group by the end of 2026. Apart from avoiding the hassle described above, some people argue that this is a positive development as it will impose strict regulations on the flow of traffic between the occupied north and the government-controlled south. Unfortunately, that is a short-sighted view and is a move that could prove a colossal mistake for Cyprus.

The reasons are twofold.

The first has to do with our national problem. Cyprus, as we all know, is not a normal country. Quite apart from being the centre of the world, it is a country divided in two and which, allegedly, is trying to get back together. Becoming part of the Schengen zone will automatically mean that a hard border needs to be put up between the Turkish occupied north and the government-controlled areas in the south. Our repeated arguments that there are no borders along the ceasefire line will be undermined by our own actions. Our chest beating positions that we do not accept stamps on our passports when we cross to the north will necessitate just that. Ireland (the only other country in the EU that is not a member of the Schengen zone) was faced with the same dilemma when its citizens crossed from Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland and vice-versa. It decided it would rather not impose these restrictions to free travel so opted out of the Schengen zone.

Cyprus, it seems, knows better and can ignore these concerns. The application to join the Schengen zone was initiated by then Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides in 2019.

Doubling down on his pet project, he has pushed on, ignoring the above concerns but also seemingly unaware of the dangers the move will create on another big topic that has since engulfed Cyprus. That is the immigration issue. The emphasis the current government has put to rectify the absurdly long waiting periods to process an asylum application has been the right approach in improving the outflow of non-eligible immigrants. This has effectively given the sign that Cyprus is not an “easy” destination for those willing to ‘play the system’ and risk their chances even if they know they are not eligible for asylum.

Cyprus entering the Schengen zone will do exactly the opposite. This will give added incentives for immigrants to choose Cyprus as the point of first entry to Europe as this will give them access to no passport control when travelling elsewhere in the bloc.

I have been puzzled as to why the government cannot see the obvious dangers from such a move and is pressing ahead regardless. I have long entertained the view that decisions are sometimes taken based on opinions formed in the past and one keeps pursuing them, choosing to ignore any new developments that call for the decision to be reevaluated. One such example is Trump’s pursuit of his misguided tariff policy. (Come on readers, there was no way I could refrain from mentioning him at least once!) Formed during the 1980s, when Japan was then running large trading export surpluses with the USA, President Donald Trump has stuck with the same (bad) idea until he got the chance to implement it, ignoring expert advice and instead choosing people willing to follow his agenda. Similarly, Christodoulides seems to follow the same pattern and people around him seem either incapable or unwilling of challenging the boss’ pet project.

There is, of course, another more sinister reason behind the push for Schengen. That is the interests of the land development sector (which has long lobbied for applying for Schengen membership), which sees that if Cyprus is a member of the Schengen zone it would be seen as equal to other European countries by residents seeking to buy holiday homes. Thus, becoming a resident in Cyprus would automatically give them travel access to Schengen member countries free of hassle.

No matter what the real reason is, the fact of the matter is that for Cyprus the risks far outweigh the potential benefits. Partition of our homeland is not something that will happen from one day to the next. Rather, it seeps in gradually and sometimes imperceptibly. It is Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar’s stated goal. We should not give him added ammunition. We should all remember this when complaining about moving from Gate A to Gate B while waiting in line for that bougatsa.