ABSTRACT
In the years leading to Cyprus’ accession into the European Union, hopes had been fostered that EU membership would have been accompanied by the solution of the ‘Cyprus Problem’, the re-unification of the country, and the eradication of the ‘Green Line’1 – the boundary cutting through the island from east to west, separating Greek-Cypriots from Turkish-Cypriots (see Figure 8.1). Indeed, the accession process did bring about the partial opening of the ‘border’2 in 2003, just a year prior to entry. Hopes for a solution were dashed, however, in April 2004, when, only weeks away from formal accession, a UN-sponsored plan aiming for reunification was turned down after a referendum. Consequently, although in theory the whole of Cyprus entered the EU in May 2004, in practice the aquis communitaire is not applicable in the Turkish-Cypriot controlled northern part of the island. This has created an ‘ambiguity’ for EU borders, since until a solution to the conflict is reached, ‘the UN Green Line Zone will act as a kind of frontier running across the island’ (Neuwahl 2005, 25). The EU has thus inherited the unresolved ‘Cyprus Problem’, and will have to deal with a disputed internal boundary and part of its territory alienated from its control until the conflict is resolved.
