Cyprus foreign minister Constantinos Kombos with European Commissioner for internal affairs Magnus Brunner. Credit: ckombos, Twitter.
Cyprus and its president Nikos Christodoulides have officially confirmed the news that towards 2026, the country will become a member of the Schengen area, which will have massive ramifications for its people and those across Europe.
Speaking at a meeting of the European People’s Party in Berlin on Saturday, January 18, the president stated his government now has integration into the Schengen zone as its “main goal” and that it has been a huge effort from him and his team as they aim to get the move over the line.
President gave statement on final stage talks
“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.
Cyprus will hold the European Council’s rotating presidency at the turn of 2026, where he feels joining the Schengen states at that point would be a “good juncture”.
Foreign Minister of Cyprus, Constantinos Kombos, seconded his comments, additionally telling the European Commissioner for Internal Affairs Magnus Brunner on Friday, January 17, that the European Commission’s “guidance” towards the joining of the Schengen zone is “key to this important goal.”
Foreign Minister: Joining Schengen will be beneficial for all
He continued, stating that becoming a Schengen member is a “key priority” for the government of Cyprus, adding that ultimately Cyprus joining other states of the Schengen will be “mutually beneficial for Cyprus and all European citizens.”
Schengen states are European countries that do not have any border checks for all who reside in any of the nations in its ‘zone’. Additionally, no visa is required to visit, to live or to work in any Schengen country, as long as you are a citizen of a country in this area.
Countries currently within the Schengen group are: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.
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